

























































































































































Class Jli F H’4 3 
Book . ! o H, 4 
Gopight N°_ 


COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 











RETAIL SHOE SALESMENS INSTITUTE 



detail £hoe$a/esmen 

FOUNDERS 

NATIONAL SHOE RETAILERS' ASSOCIATION 



GEORGE W. BAKER SHOE CO., 
Brooklyn, N. Y. 

BLISS ft PERRY CO., 

Newburyport, Mam. 

BOOT ft SHOE RECORDER, 

Boston, Mass. 

BRISTOL PATENT LEATHER CO., 
Boston. Mass. 

Brockton band co.. 

Brockton. Man. 

BROWN SHOE CO., 

St. Eon is. Mo. 

ARTHUR L. EVANS, 

Boston. Mass. 

L B. EVANS' SON OO., 

Wakefield, Mass. 
FARNSWORTH, HOYT CO., 

Boston. Mass. 

nAZE1V B. GOODRICH ft CO* 
Haverhill, Mass. 
HAZEN-TiUOWN CO., 

Boston, Mass. 

HUNT-BAN KIN LEATHER CO., 
Boston, Mass. 

OEORGE E. KEITH CO., 

Brockton, Mass. 

KEYSTONE LEATHER CO., 
Philadelphia, Pa. 

MBNTHAN CO., 

Rochester, N. Y. 

MORSE ft BURT CO., 

Brooklyn, N. Y. 

A. E. NETTLKTON CO* 

Syracuse, N. Y, 

PETER8 MFC. CO.. 

Boston, Mass. 

THOMAS G. PLANT CO., 

Boston. Mass. 

RICE ft HUTCHINS, INC* 

Boston, Mass. 

SEAMAN8 ft COBB OO., 

Boston. Msss. 

SELBY 8nOE CO., 

Portsmouth, Ohio 
8TBT80N snors, INC., 

Booth Weymouth. Mass. 

THE SHOE RETAILER, 

Boston, Mass. 

UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CO., 
Boston, Mass. 

UNITED STATES RUBBER CO., 
New York, N. Y. 

WIZARD FOOT APPLIANCE CO., 
St. Lools. Mo. 

B. T. WEIGHT ft CO., INC* 

Rockland, Maas. 


ALEXANDER ft CO., 

Wheeling. W. Vn. 

CHISHOLM SHOE CO., 

Cleveland. Ohio 
COHEN BROTHERS, 

Jacksonville, Fla. 

L. 8. DONALDSON CO. # 

Minneapolis, Minn. 

WILLIAM FILENE'8 SONS GO,, 
Boston, Mass. 

R. H. FYFE ft CO* 

Detroit. Mich. 

A. H. OEUTINO CO., 

Philadelphia, Pa. 

GILCHRIST CO* 

Boston, Mass. 

W. C. GOODWIN. 

Fltchborg. Mass. 

GUARANTEE 8II0E CO., 

San Antonio. Texas 
F. A. GUINrVAN. 

Philadelphia. Fa. 

A V. nOLBROOK BOOTERY CO., 
Columbus. Ohio 
A. IL HOWE ft SONS. 

Bostoo. Mass. 

JONES. PETERSON ft NEWHALL CO, 
Boston. Mass. 

KBUPP ft TTJFFLY, 

Houston, Texas 
LEWIS ft REILLY, 

Seranton, Pa. 

JOHN A MEADORS ft SONS, 

Nashville. Tenn. 

THOMAS F. PEIRCE ft SON, 
Providence, R. L 
POTTER SHOE CO* 

Cincinnati. Ohio 
8HERRON SHOE CO., 

Memphis. Tenn. 

W. 0. SIMMONS CORF* 

Hartford. Conn. 

SLADE SHOE SHOPS, 

Des Moines. Iowa 

STBLLTNG-NICKEROON SHOE CO* 
Augusta, Oa 
VAJTLE SHOE CO* 

Kokomo, Tnd. 

VAN DEORIFT SHOE CO., 

Los Angsles, CsL 
VOLK BR08. CO* 

Dallas. Texas * 

K. W. WATTERS OO,, 

Buffalo. N. Y. 

W. W. WILLSON, 

Boston, Mass. 






































































































EDITORIAL COUNCIL 

ARTHUR L. EVANS, Editor in Chief 
GEORGE F. HAMILTON, Managing Editor 

CONSULTANTS 


C. Q. ADAMS, General Manager, 

Bristol Patent Leather Co. 

SEATON ALEXANDER, President, 

Alexander & Co. 

ARTHUR D. ANDERSON, Editor. 

Boot & Shoe Recorder 

C. L. ANDERSON, President, 

Bristol Patent Leather Co. 

T. F. ANDERSON, Secretary, 

New England Shoe & Leather Assn. 

GEORGE W. BAKER, President, 

George W. Baker Shoe Co. 

GEORGE W. BAKER, Js., Set’y and Treas. 
George W. Baker Shoe Co. 

JOHN A. BARBOUR, President, 

Brockton Rand Co. 

PERLEY E. BARBOUR, Vice-President, 
Brockton Rand Co. 

CHARLES A. BLISS, Treasurer, 

Bliss & Perry Co. 

ELMER J. BLISS, President, 

Regal Shoe Co. 

FRANK J. BRADLEY, President, 

Hazen B. Goodrich & Co. 

FRANK R. BRIGGS, Treasurer, 

Thomas G. Plant Co. 

E. P. BROWN, President, ^ 

United Shoe Machinery Corp. 

MAX BROWN, President, 

Hazen-Brown Co. 

J. T. BUCKLEY, President, 

Mass. Shoe Retailers’ As3’n. 

JOHN A. BUSH. President, 

Brown Shoe Co. 

FRANK G. BUTTERWORTH, Sales Manager, 
Regal Shoe Co. 

CHARLES T. CAHILL, 

United Shoe Machinery Corp. 

C. K. CHISHOLM, Firm Member, 

Chisholm Shoe Co. 

F. S. COBB, President, 

Seamans & Cobb Co. 

HENRY W. COOK. Vice-President, 

A. E. Nettleton Co. 

H. T. CONNER, Vice-President, 

George E. Keith Stores Co. 

LOUIS A. COOLIDGE, Treasurer, 

United Shoe Machinery Corp. 

E. D. COX, 

United Shoe Machinery Corp. 


F. F. CUTLER, President, 

The Shoe Retailer 

A. O. DAY, Secretary, 

R. H. Fyfe & Co. 

W. G. DENNISON, Advertising Manager, 
Rice & Hutchins, Inc. 

A. W DONOVAN, President, 

E. T. Wright & Co., Inc., 

HERBERT J. DUNBAR, President. 
Dunbar Pattern Co. 

W. F. ENRIGHT, 

United States Rubber Co. 

ARTHUR LUCIUS EVANS, Treasurer, 

L. B. Evans’ Son Co. 

MRS. JENNIE L. EVANS, Firm Member, 
Lewis & Reilly 

PERCIVAL B. EVANS, Vice-President. 

L. B. Evans’ Son Co. 

R. H. FYFE, President, 

R. H. Fyfe & Co. 

A. H. GEUTING, Dealer and Ex-President, 
National Shoe Retailers’ Association 

L. H. GILSON, 

Brockton Rand Co. 

W. C. GOODWIN, 

Dealer 

JOHN S. GRIFFITHS, President, 

L. B. Evans’ Son Co. 

F. A. GUINIVAN, 

Orthopedic and Merchandising Specialist 

A. C. HEALD, Treasurer, 

Stetson Shoe Co. 

A. V. HOLBROOK, President, 

A. V. Holbrook Bootery Co. 

IRVING B. HOWE, Partner, 

A. H. Howe & Sons 

CHARLES C. HOYT, President. 
Farnsworth, Hoyt Co. 

HERBERT V. HUNT, President, 
Hunt-Rankin Leather Co. 

GEORGE E. KEITH, President, 

George E. Keith Co. 

HAROLD C. KEITH, Treasurer, 

George E. Keith Co. 

J. F. KNOWLES, Treasurer, 

W, G. Simmons Corp. 

GEORGE H. LEACH, Secretary, 

George E. Keith Co. 

WILLIAM R. LEWIS, Firm Member, 
Lewis & Reilly 


CONSULTANTS 


WILLIAM LIVINGSTON. 

R. H. Fyfe & Co 

A H. LOCKWOOD, Editor, 

Shoe and Leather Reporter. 

FRANK R. MAXWELL, Vice-President, 
Thomas G. Plant Co. 

GEORGE H. MAYO, Manager Footwear Div. 
United States Rubber Co 

H. C. McLAUGHLIN, Vice-President, 

Potter Shoe Co. 

J. J. McPHILLIPS, 

Seamans & Cobb Co. 

ALLEN H. MEADORS, Partner, 

John A. Meadors & Sons. 

J. G. >IENIHAN, President, 

Menihan Co. 

T. C. MIRKIL, Secretary-Commissioner, 
National Shoe Retailers’ Association 

HENRY MOOREHOUSE, Gen. Manager, 
Brockton Last Co. 

RAYMOND P. MORSE, Treasurer, 

Morse & Burt Co. 

JAMES A. MUNROE, Vice-President, 

E. T. Wright & Co., Inc. 

GEORGE A. NEWHALL, Vice-President, 
Jones, Peterson & Newhall Co. 

JAMES P. ORR, President, 

Potter Shoe Co.; Pres. N. S. R. A. 

GEORGE E. PEIRCE, Firm Member, 
Thomas F. Peirce & Son 

PAUL a. PETERS, Vice-President, 

Peters Mfg. Co. 

WILLIAM F. PETERS, President, 

Peters Mfg. Co. 

BURT W. RANKIN, Treasurer, 
Hunt-Rankin Leather Co. 

J. B. REINHART, Vice-President, 

Wizard Foot Appliance Co. 

CHARLES A. REYNOLDS, President, 
Keystone Leather Co. 

FRED B. RICE, Vice-President, 

Rice & Hutchins, Inc. 

G. S. ROTH, Manager Shoe Department, 

L- S. Donaldson Co. 


HOLLIS B. SCATES, Shoe Division Manager, 
William Filene’s Sons Co. 

T. M. SCOGGINS, Vice-President, 

Krupp & Tuffly 

MARK W. SELBY, Vice-President and Sec' y 
Selby Shoe Co. 

THOMAS W. SHERRON, President, 

Sherron Shoe Co. 

MILO A. SLADE, Firm Member, 

Slade Shoe Shops 

F. W. SMALL, Manager Shoe Department, 
Gilchrist Co. 

S. G. SPITZER, Manager Shoe Department, 

S. Kann Sons Co. 

FRED W. STANTON Secretary, 

National Shoe Travelers’ Association 

FRANK H. STELLING, 

Stelling-Nickerson Shoe Co. 

E. H. STETSON, President, 

Stetson Shoe Co. 

JAMES H. STONE, Editor, 

The Shoe Retailer 

J. F. TEEHAN, Vice-President, 

Dunbar Pattern Co. 

E. B. TERHUNE, Treas. and Gen. Manager, 
Boot & Shoe Recorder 

L. F. TUFFLY, President, 

Krupp & Tuffly 

VICTOR E. VAILE, President, 

Vaile Shoe Co. 

H. L. VAN DEGRIFT, General Manager, 

Van Degrift Shoe Co. 

GEORGE A. VOLK, Firm Member, 

Volk Bros. Co. 

L. W. VOLK, Firm Member, 

Volk Bros. Co. 

J. M. WATSON, President , 

Guarantee Shoe Co. 

K. W. WATTERS, President, 

K. W. Watters Co. 

R. R. WILKINSON, Shoe Buyer, 

Cohen Brothers 

W. W. WILLSON, Store Sales Manager, 

Rice & Hutchins, Inc. 

E. T. WRIGHT, Treasurer, 

E. T. Wright & Co., Inc. 














CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


BY 

ARTHUR L. EVANS 

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, RETAIL SHOE SALESMEN’S INSTITUTE, 
FORMERLY PRESIDENT, THE SHOEMAN AND 
VICE-PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER, THE SHOE RETAILER 

IN COLLABORATION WITH 

Charles H. Brown , Inventor , Arch Preserver Shoe 
Charles T. Cahill, United Shoe Machinery Corp. 

C. K. Chisholm , Firm Member , Chisholm Shoe Co. 

A. H. Geuting, Dealer y Ex-Pres. y National Shoe Retailers' Association 
W. C. Goodwin , Dealer 

Francis A. Guinivan, Orthopedic and Merchandising Specialist 
Irving B. Howe y Firm Member , A. H. Howe & Sons 
H. C. McLaughlin , Vice-President Potter Shoe Co. 

Raymond P. Morse , Treasurer , Morse i3 Burt Co. 

James A. Munroe, Vice-President , E. T. Wright 13 Co. 

George E. Peirce, President , Thomas F. Peirce 3 Son 
J. B. Reinhart , Vice-President , Wizard Lightfoot Appliance Co. 

Hollis B. Scates , Shoe Division Manager , William Filene’s Sons Co. 
Mark W. Selby , Vice-President , SW£y SW Co. 

/\ /F. Small , S^Oi? Department Manager , Gilchrist Co. 

J. M. Watson , President , Guarantee Shoe Co. 

W. W. Willson, Manager Retail Stores , Sf? Hutchins , 7nc. 

VOLUME 2 

CONSTITUTING PART OF THE TRAINING COURSE 
FOR RETAIL SHOE SALESMEN 


RETAIL SHOE SALESMEN’S INSTITUTE 
BOSTON 



COPYRIGHT, 1920 , BY 
RETAIL SHOE SALESMEN’S INSTITUTE 

All rights reserved 
Made in U.S.A. 


* 


©CI.A570828 





PREFACE 


In the preparation of this volume the author 
has intentionally avoided abstruse technical dis¬ 
cussions such as the complexities of foot anatomy 
and certain of the details having to do with cor¬ 
rect shoe fitting that can be best learned through 
constant study in actual service. This volume 
is therefore not a substitute for experience. 
Rather is it the authoritative guide and helpful 
assistant in the practise of this profession. 

Ability to fit feet is an asset to a retail shoe 
salesman, above and beyond any other qualifica¬ 
tion. It is the true foundation of customer-con¬ 
fidence — the greatest bulwark of shoe sales¬ 
manship success. Lacking this ability, or defi¬ 
ciency therein, the possession of other admirable 
attributes falls far short of forwarding the sales¬ 
man along “the road to advancement” either 
steadily or permanently. 

Retail shoe salesmanship is truly a profession 
because it has to do with the vital matter of 
health as affected by shoe fitting. To advance 
in this profession adequate knowledge of the 
principles of correct shoe fitting is essential. It 
is this thing that makes a true shoe salesman 
actually a consulting expert. 

vii 


vm 


PREFACE 


This volume defines the principles of correct 
shoe fitting. It is the groundwork upon which 
the daily fitting service and experience may be 
based. Earnest, thoughtful study of the facts 
as set forth in the volume, will prove of substan¬ 
tial value in correct fitting and hence in the 
building and maintenance of the inestimable 
asset of good-will and confidence of customers. 

Acknowledgment for valuable assistance in 
the compilation and preparation of the material 
in this volume is gratefully made to the follow¬ 
ing: Dr. Henry A. Gartner, S. J. Brouwer, F. H. 
Bush, Louis S. Byck, Walter G. Dennison, Wil¬ 
liam J. Gibbs, Elwyn Pond, E. H. Powers, Wil¬ 
liam J. Walsh. 


ARTHUR L. EVANS 


TABLE OF CONTENTS 

CHAPTER I 


PAGE 

The Vital Necessity of Correct Shoe Fitting. ... i 
Service; Specialized Service; Far-Reaching 
Scope; Confidence of Customers; Public 
Awakening; A Consulting Expert; Army In¬ 
vestigations; Responsibility of Salesman; Per¬ 
sonal Following; The Price Problem; The Prac¬ 
tical and The Ideal; How to Study This 
Volume. 


CHAPTER II 

The Human Foot.19 

Normal and Abnormal Feet; Study Actual 
Feet; Bones of the Foot; Names of the Foot 
Bones; Os Calcis; Astragulus; Scaphoid; Cu¬ 
boid; Cuneiform; Metatarsals; Phalanges; Ses¬ 
amoid; Bone Structure an Operating Unit; Leg 
Bones; Muscles and Other Elements of the 
Foot; Muscles Protect Nerves; Arteries and 
Veins; Undisturbed Nature; Arches of the 
Foot; Three Bearing Points — The “Tripod”; 
Variations; A Firm Foundation; Center of 
Gravity; Arches and Exercise. 

CHAPTER III 

Measuring the Human Foot.48 

Meyer’s Line; A “Primary Line”; The Great 


IX 




X 


CONTENTS 


Toe; The Smaller Toes; Designing the Sole; 
The Broad Sole; Test; Measure from Heel to 
Ball. 


CHAPTER IV 

Foot Troubles and Their Correction.61 

Abnormal Feet Generally Found; Salesman De¬ 
termines; Previous Misfitting; A Form of Rob¬ 
bery; Salesman’s Greatest Asset; Study Every 
Foot; No Doubt; “Getting By”; Dealers and 
Manufacturers Not to Blame; When “Fash¬ 
ionable” Shoes May be Worn; Various Forms 
of Foot Trouble; Flatfoot; Symptoms. 

CHAPTER V 

Foot Troubles and Their Correction ( Continued ) 81 
Contracted Arches; Symptoms; Bunions and 
Enlarged Joints; Advanced Stage; Hallux Val¬ 
gus; Inner Margin of Sole; Clubbed Toes; 
Hammer Toes; Relief and Cure; Crumpled, 
Crowded, Overlapped Toes; Inherited; Foot 
Skin Troubles; Corns; Relief and Cure; Cal¬ 
louses; Blisters; Ingrowing Nails; Abraisons; 
Fissures; Professional Limitations. 

CHAPTER VI 

Foot Troubles and Their Correction 

(Concluded) . 109 

Broad Understanding; The Muscles; Trouble 
Felt Elsewhere; Outside Causes; Changing 
Conditions; Tendons and Ligaments; Care of 
the Tendons and Ligaments; Circulation and 
Nerves; Poor Circulation; Miscellaneous Foot 
Troubles; Mental Distress; Fatigue; Loss of 




CONTENTS 


xi 


Grace of Carriage; Child-Bearing and High 
Heels; Stiff Joints, Gout and Chilblains; Lo¬ 
cating Foot Troubles. 

CHAPTER VII 

Flexible Shanks and Stiff Shanks.131 

Difference of Opinion; Heel Necessitates 
Shank; Expert Opinion; Considering Individ¬ 
ual Case; Place for Both; An Extreme Case; 

Both Sides; Physical Condition a Considera¬ 
tion; Suggestions. 

CHAPTER VIII 

Corrective Appliances.145 

A Broad Field; Thorough Knowledge Requi¬ 
site; A Professional Subject; One Responsibil¬ 
ity; Various Points. 

CHAPTER IX 

Foot Exercises.157 

The First Step; Ethics; General Condition; In¬ 
dividual Judgment; Suggested Exercises; Proper 
Way of Walking; Position; Children; Benefit 
of Walking. 


CHAPTER X 

Salesmanship Points in Correct Shoe Fitting. .173 
The Goal; No Two Alike; Confidence Most Im¬ 
portant; Selling to Women; Repeat Trade; 

Four Fitting Points; Study Shoes; Investigate; 
Three Groups of Feet; Know Other Lines; 
Actual Knowledge; Fit According to Ball; De¬ 
termining Right Last; Back Pattern; The Size 





Xll 


CONTENTS 


Stick; Fitting the Eye; Imparting Confidence; 
Knowledge of Foot Anatomy; Familiarity with 
Stock; Fitting Too Short; Fitting a Big Fac¬ 
tor; Ball Joints. 

CHAPTER XI 

Salesmanship Points in Correct Shoe Fitting 

{Continued) .190 

Length of Arch; Strength of Arch; Arch Sup¬ 
port; Shoe Length; Types of Feet; General 
Principles; Determining Proper Size; Width; 

The Short Foot; Distortions; Falling Arches; 
Metatarsal Troubles; Fitting Style Shoes; High 
Arches; Encouraging Sensible Shoes; Plaster 
Casts; Fit Children Long; Forcing Deformed 
Feet; Army Fitting Instructions; Racial Dif¬ 
ferences; Fit Both Feet; Size Differences; Ankle 
Fitting; Arch Support Question; Wet Shoes. 

CHAPTER XII 

Salesmanship Points in Correct Shoe Fitting 

{Concluded) .207 

Cooperation with Physicians; Avoid Technical 
Terms; Hosiery; “Keeping Its Shape”; High 
Heels; Vanity and High Heels. 




CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


CHAPTER I 

THE VITAL NECESSITY OF CORRECT 
SHOE FITTING 


SERVICE 

In business today we hear a good deal about 
a great, powerful, business-building force called 
“service.” Something has already been said 
about this in the volume on “Retail Shoe Sales¬ 
manship.The word has a wide variety of 
meanings. 

The progressive banker solicits new business 
on the strength of the expert service he is able 
to offer. At-the other extreme we may have the 
bootblack or the window cleaner who also asks 
for business on the strength of his better grade 
of service. To the banker, service may refer to 
the wise advice and counsel he is able to offer 
his client on investments and other important 
business matters; to the bootblack “service” 
means perhaps a good shine in three minutes. 
Each has his own particular brand to offer. 

But to the retail shoe salesman there is nothing 
vague or blurred as to the particular kind of 
service he must offer the customer. His job is 
to supply footwear that properly fits the cus- 


2 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


tomer's foot . Unless he can do this he has no 
future as a successful retail shoe salesman. 

SPECIALIZED SERVICE 

It is impossible to overestimate the practical 
need for correct fitting service. In consulting 
with a great many shoe store proprietors and 
managers concerning this subject, not a single 
person was found who did not consider this part 
of the service as one of the first in importance 
among the desired qualifications of a competent 
retail shoe salesman. Experts in other branches 
of the shoe trade have been consulted also — 
manufacturers, wholesalers, traveling salesmen, 
the whole gamut of the trade, in fact — all have 
expressed the same view concerning the need for 
correct shoe-fitting service. 

Throughout the trade the opinion is general. 
It must be based on a sound, fundamental fact. 
And so it is. Fitting of shoes has to do with 
the divine gift of Health. No person can lightly 
disregard this consideration. 

A progressive Southern newspaper recently 
asked a number of leading business men what 
they considered to be the prime essential for 
business success. The general expression of 
opinion was that health is the supreme factor. 
Since the condition of the feet exert such a great 
influence upon health, the shoe surely has an 
important part to play in protecting this great 
gift. 


NECESSITY OF CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


3 


It is to the credit of the shoe trade that the 
need for correct fitting of shoes is so widely 
recognized and that deep in the consciousness 
of the people who design, produce and sell shoes 
there is a desire for improvement in this su¬ 
premely important matter. 

Aside from the retail shoe salesman himself, 
very few of the people in the trade who have 
to do with the making and marketing of shoes 
come in contact with the person who finally buys 
and wears the shoe. They do not see for them¬ 
selves, therefore, the final results and effect of 
their work in designing and producing. This 
condition places upon the retail shoe salesmen 
a responsibility and, as a matter of fact, a great 
opportunity for good. Earnest salesmen accept 
the responsibility and grasp the opportunity. 

It is the purpose of this volume to reduce to 
concrete form the essential facts concerning cor¬ 
rect fitting; these to be a guide to the salesmen 
to aid in the daily task. 

FAR-REACHING SCOPE 

E. H. Powers, of William Hahn & Co., Wash¬ 
ington, D. C., says: “I wonder if most of us 
realize just how important a feature of shoe¬ 
retailing this phase really is? How far-reaching 
in its scope! 

“A man can be a ‘star of the first magnitude’ 
in selling shoes, in the sense that he exchanges 
the shoes in his stock for the customer’s money 


4 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


— and may not be a good shoe-fitter at all. 
Such a man, while he is able to sell rapidly, and 
in volume, is nevertheless to be feared by any 
conscientious store-owner; for unless the sales¬ 
man understands the fitting of shoes, the more 
customers he sells the more he is likely to drive 
away from the store. 

“However, let a man once master the fitting 
of shoes and he becomes a salesman . His trade 
will stick, because his customers are properly 
served — properly fitted.” 

CONFIDENCE OF CUSTOMERS 

A. H. Gueting, of Philadelphia, former presi¬ 
dent of the National Shoe Retailers’ Associa¬ 
tion, says: “The fitting of shoes is of the greatest 
importance to a successful salesman, as well as 
to a successful business. Its knowledge alone 
is hardly sufficient, however, for it must be 
backed up by character in salesmanship, so that 
the customer may be convinced and influenced 
along the lines of proper fitting and the conse¬ 
quent satisfaction which will be enjoyed as a 
result. It will establish a growing confidence 
that lies at the very foundation of a successful 
and growing shoe business.” 

The confidence of the consumer is pointed out 
by not only these men, but by all in the trade, 
as one of the greatest assets of the retail shoe 
salesman. At no point is such confidence more 
surely earned than in fitting. 


NECESSITY OF CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


5 


William J. Gibbs, head of the shoe depart¬ 
ment of Marshall Field & Co., Chicago, says: 
“Successful shoe fitting and selling is like every¬ 
thing else — unless one thoroughly understands 
the job in hand it is impossible to give good 
service. Therefore, my advice to all of those 
entering into our profession is to learn their busi¬ 
ness. In other words, ‘knowledge is power/ and 
to be a good fitter, one must not only under¬ 
stand shoes, in the way of materials, but lasts 
and patterns and other related subjects, so as 
to be able to serve all kinds of feet.” 

J. M. Watson, president of the Guarantee 
Shoe Co., San Antonio, Texas, says: “A real 
shoe salesman is one part talk and nine parts 
judgment, and he uses the nine parts judgment 
to tell when to use the one part talk. A real 
shoe fitter is one part judgment and nine parts 
knowledge, and he uses the nine parts knowledge 
to tell when to use the one part judgment. The 
real shoe fitter, who possesses the nine parts of 
knowledge, knows that different fitting is re¬ 
quired for the different types of feet, and if he 
really knows his business, he fits the foot ac¬ 
curately with the first shoe he puts on, regardless 
of the type it may be.” 

What these largely successful retail shoe mer¬ 
chants say here, is but the summed-up thought 
and judgment of every merchant and all others 
having to do with putting shoes on the feet of 
the public. 


6 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

PUBLIC AWAKENING 

It is a fact that public consciousness as well 
as trade thought is awakened to the importance 
of this matter of correct shoe fitting. It is “in 
the air.” It is bound to occupy an increasingly 
important place in the design, production and 
marketing of shoes in future. 

Evidence is not wanting that retail shoe sales¬ 
men are more alive to the responsibility resting 
upon them in this respect. After all, the burden 
is upon the salesmen, for, in the last analysis, 
they fit 99 per cent of all the shoes to the feet 
of the customers. In the United States alone 
retail shoe salesmen annually fit over 300,000,- 
000 pairs of shoes. 

Signs of the times in the movement for cor¬ 
rect-fitting shoes may be noted in the large 
number of manufacturers who have in recent 
years given special attention to the design of 
shoes in which the essential element is one of 
properly fitting the foot according to scientific 
principles. The last and pattern makers, the 
raw material producers, the wholesalers, the re¬ 
tailers, the traveling salesmen — all pay more 
attention to this trend than ever before. 

The public, in various organized and unor¬ 
ganized ways, has spoken clearly upon this sub¬ 
ject, and the trade is by no means unmindful of 
the opinions coming from such sources. The 
Y. W. C. A. especially has taken a decided and 
advanced stand on the subject of better fitting 


NECESSITY OF CORRECT SHOE FITTING 7 

footwear. Of the particular work accomplished 
and attempted by this great organization of 
women, it is not possible, by reason of space 
limitations, to speak at length in this volume. 

Every town of some size in the country has 
its physicians whose practise brings contact with 
injured, crippled, misshapen, abused feet, due to 
ill-fitted shoes. The men and women of the 
medical profession by the thousands, are urging 
that more and better attention be given to shoe 
fitting. 

It would seem then, from this harmony of 
opinions on the importance of correct shoe fit¬ 
ting, by all elements, mercantile, professional 
and public, that the retail shoe salesman should 
burden his very soul with the desire and the 
determination to know all that he can and should 
know relative to fitting feet to proper footwear. 

The ills following upon incorrect fitting of 
footwear are positively appalling, and if the 
shoe salesmen could but see the results of im¬ 
proper shoe fitting with their own eyes none 
would knowingly be a party to such a thing. 

All these things are so because shoe fitting 
concerns a sacred subject — Health. None can 
minimize its importance or honorably evade its 
responsibility. With the single exception of 
corset-fitting (and this is certainly in second 
place) no sphere of wearing-apparel service to 
the public is so charged with moral and physical 
duty. 


8 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


A CONSULTING EXPERT 

The retail shoe salesman, in the matter of 
fitting, should become and continue as an en¬ 
thusiastic, earnest, educated consulting expert. 
It is this thing alone that lifts retail shoe sales¬ 
manship to the high level of a profession. 

ARMY INVESTIGATIONS 

The world war taught mankind many things. 
One of the significant discoveries made in the 
United States — and proved beyond contradic¬ 
tion — is that American men have a very high 
percentage of poor feet due almost wholly to in¬ 
correct fitting of footwear. 

Bear in mind, that our military system 
selected the best physical specimens of manhood. 
Let us examine official records in foot troubles 
as brought out in our army camps and posts 
even in the light of the selective system em¬ 
ployed. Government bulletins say: 

“It was shown by investigations made at a 
number of the military posts and training camps 
that the percentage of misfitted shoes among the 
enlisted men, resulting from former methods of 
fitting, was very high. 

“The investigation made at one camp in 
October 1916, showed that 70.49 per cent of 
the men examined were wearing too-short shoes; 
11.62 per cent were wearing too-long shoes, and 
17.89 per cent were wearing correct-size shoes. 
“In August, 1917, a survey of the enlisted 


NECESSITY OF CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


9 


men’s feet at a camp showed that 81.77 per cent 
of them were in shoes from one-half to three and 
one-half sizes too short; 3.07 per cent were 
wearing too-long shoes, and 15.16 per cent were 
wearing correct-size shoes. 

“In November 1917, a survey of the enlisted 
men’s feet at another camp showed 94.27 per 
cent were wearing shoes from one-half to three 
and one-half sizes too short; .79 per cent were 
wearing shoes too long, and 4.94 per cent were 
wearing correct size. 

“At another camp, in August 1918, 88.6 per 
cent of the men were found to be wearing shoes 
from one-half to three and one-half sizes too 
short; 1.4 per cent were wearing too-long shoes, 
and 10 per cent of the men were wearing shoes 
of correct size. 

“A collective summary of results taken from 
examinations at camps showed the following: 
Total number of men examined, 58,706; total 
number found to be wearing too-short shoes, 
41,852 (71.29 per cent); total number found to 
be wearing too-long shoes, 5,778 (9.84 per 
cent); total number found to be wearing shoes 
of the correct sizes, 11,076 (18.87 P er cent).” 

No one can doubt that these proved facts 
constituted a serious national menace at the 
crisis in our national life then impending. It 
certainly slowed-up our preparation for front¬ 
line service and might indeed have proved ex¬ 
ceedingly disastrous. 


10 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


“Reduced efficiency, physical and mental, of 
millions of our citizens can surely be traced in 
some measure to improperly fitted footwear. 

“Exceptions to this liability will, of course, be 
found in the cases where men come to the service 
from occupations that tend to develop and 
harden the feet, such as out-door labor or other 
civil pursuits that keep men on their feet much 
of the day. The feet of such recruits are fairly 
well prepared for army training. 

“But if those good feet are allowed to be im¬ 
properly fitted with army shoes, their efficiency 
quickly departs. In other words the most mus¬ 
cular, best-shaped, best-exercised, best-devel¬ 
oped feet possible to be found on a recruit can 
instantly be started on the downward track to 
serious and permanent impairment if through 
ignorance or carelessness these feet are given 
wrong-size shoes.” 

Can anyone, most especially a retail shoe 
salesman, know these facts without being 
stirred, and without instantly resolving never to 
be a party willingly to improper, harmful shoe¬ 
fitting, with its inevitable injurious results? 

The army officials charge, as the reasons for 
the above-named situation, these things: 

“Ignorance of their correct foot-sizes, even in 
civilian shoes. 

“Ignorance of the difference between their 
size in civilian footwear and the corresponding 
size in army shoes. 


NECESSITY OF CORRECT SHOE FITTING n 

“Personal vanity, as shown in a desire to wear 
as small a size as possible.” 

Who is responsible for this ignorance? Who 
could logically combat this vanity? Is the re¬ 
tail shoe salesman to blame? Has he a respon¬ 
sibility to some degree in the matter? 

If the proved facts above set forth officially 
are subject for contemplation, what would be 
the resulting thoughts were it possible to secure 
data and statistics from the whole mass of the 
people, and not merely from the comparatively 
few chosen for war service by reason of their 
superior physical fitness? 

If those alarming facts applied to men already 
in the service, what would be the truth concern¬ 
ing rejected men? In one recruiting station in 
New York City, out of thirty men rejected in 
one day, twenty-two were thrown down because 
of foot trouble. Reports from hundreds of 
similar stations are of the same general tenor. 

In civil life the evidence is no less profound. 
A recent writer on this subject says: “In the 
medical inspection of school children’s feet in 
one large city, out of seven hundred cases which 
had been erroneously diagnosed as fallen arches 
only a few proved to be this. They were mainly 
simply cases of weak feet caused by high heels 
and narrow-toed shoes. The trouble came 
about through the effort of the foot to adjust 
itself to the shoe. Had these growing feet been 
allowed to retain their own shape, flat feet, fallen 


12 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

arches and weak ankles would be unthought 
of. 

“The low heel, rubber sole, sport shoe is the 
greatest blessing that has been offered woman¬ 
kind in a very long time.” 

Dr. Dexter D. Ashley says in the New York 
Medical Journal: “Our conception of the beauti¬ 
ful shoe, as revealed by the fashion plate, would 
sadly cripple, constrict, and distort the foot of 
the wearer. Many diseases contribute and are 
considered causative factors, such as rheuma¬ 
tism, rickets, obesity and paralysis. Fractures 
and the severe tax upon the foot of some occu¬ 
pations while standing upon unyielding surfaces, 
are also important factors. The great majority 
of deformities and painful conditions of the feet 
are due to the shoes and the weakened muscular 
development caused by footwear built without 
proper regard to the physical needs of the foot.” 

Dr. Otto F. Schuster, of New York, in an 
address before the Child Welfare Division of 
the Health Department, said that: “Observa¬ 
tions of children of school age show easily 60 
per cent are suffering, consciously or uncon¬ 
sciously, from defective feet. That this ob¬ 
servation is correct is proved by the findings of 
other men who have made a study of children’s 
feet. In fact, one of my former students re¬ 
ported that 65 per cent of the members of a 
boys’ club examined by him had defective feet.” 

It is unfortunate that no statistics of any 


NECESSITY OF CORRECT SHOE FITTING 13 

comprehensive value are available covering the 
feminine portion of our population. Who can 
doubt that the figures would be even worse than 
those for the men? 

RESPONSIBILITY OF SALESMAN 

Enough has been here set down to convince 
the retail shoe salesman that he has a great 
responsibility in preparing himself for correctly 
fitting shoes. 

Before proceeding to consider some of the 
practical aspects of the problem of correct shoe 
fitting, it is desirable to emphasize one especially 
important fact: Shoe-fitting can only be mas¬ 
tered after long and constant practical experi¬ 
ence in handling all kinds and types of shoes 
and feet. It involves close application to one’s 
work. To be a really proficient fitter, one 
should make the subject a life-study. 

PERSONAL FOLLOWING 

Every retail shoe salesman has his heart set 
on a substantial personal following of customers 
— those who will be served by him and no 
others. This is a great asset for him — and for 
the store too, for obvious reasons. 

This personal trade is, of course, founded on 
many things — personality, reliability, confi¬ 
dence, and so forth. But above and beyond 
all else as the sure foundation for this valuable, 
desirable thing is the ability to fit customers 


14 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


correctly. Nothing else is more important than 
this. Learn to fit shoes properly and you will 
soon be rewarded with a strong personal follow¬ 
ing of customers who will “root” for you as long 
as you are in the shoe business. This is so 
because of the great scarcity of competent 
shoe fitters. The field has unlimited pos¬ 
sibilities. 

The experience is worth mentioning, of a cus¬ 
tomer who made the purchase of twenty pairs 
of shoes at one time from a retail salesman who 
demonstrated that he knew how to fit feet 
properly. It was during the war and the sales¬ 
man was shortly about to enter the military 
service. The customer took no chances on the 
future and bought shoes enough to see him 
through ten years ahead if necessary, on the pos¬ 
sibility that this competent fitting expert might 
not again be able to attend to his customary re¬ 
quirements season by season. 

THE PRICE PROBLEM 

The matter of price is another point of im¬ 
portance to be brought out here. In many cases 
the element of price of footwear hardly enters 
into consideration at all. A person accus¬ 
tomed to being fitted absolutely right will, on 
the average, be willing to pay almost any price 
in order to be assured of expert service. At all 
hazards, the fit must be right. More and more 
American people are now placing the question 


NECESSITY OF CORRECT SHOE FITTING 15 

of proper fit in footwear as the very first con¬ 
sideration; of greater importance than the price. 
For many years shoes were sold on a mere mer¬ 
chandise basis. Style developments in recent 
years, however, have greatly and favorably 
changed that condition. Correct fitting as a 
scientific service entitled to remuneration will 
become an added factor in solving the problem 
of price. The salesman who is competent to 
meet this demand will most assuredly profit by 
his knowledge and his specialized ability to give 
service based on that knowledge. 

Is this worth working for — hard? It isn’t 
a gift that is conferred. It must be desired, 
studied for, sought after by effort, practice, de¬ 
votion. 

It would be ideal if the customer had no con¬ 
trol over selection of sizes; if the possibility of 
wrong fitting were absolutely eliminated. In 
other words, the problem would be simplified if 
the customer were willing to be guided entirely 
by the advice of the competent salesman. Un¬ 
fortunately this condition does not prevail. 
Therefore the problem is put up to the sales¬ 
man to meet as he finds it — his is the chief 
responsibility in swaying the customer’s mind 
from pre-conceived erroneous ideas on fit. By 
reason of his accurate knowledge and sound ex¬ 
perience the possibility of wrong fitting, if not 
entirely eliminated, should at least be reduced 
to its lowest terms. 


16 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

THE PRACTICAL AND THE IDEAL 

This volume deals with the practical and the 
ideal. Where the ideal is presented the fact is 
recognized that the salesman must also deal with 
the practical. He must of necessity be guided 
in his daily selling work by the likes, dislikes, 
and preferences of the customer, any limitations 
of the stock on hand and such other consider¬ 
ations. On the other hand, ideal, like the highest 
aspirations of our nature, must, nevertheless, be 
held constantly in mind and diligently sought 
after in the weighty responsibility involved in 
fitting shoes to the human feet. 

Here may well be stated the guiding rule gov¬ 
erning correct shoe fitting. The basic principle 
and ideal of correct shoe fitting is this: “A shoe 
that fits is one that permits, without hindrance, 
perfect, natural and normal action of every bone, 
joint, muscle, ligament, tendon, blood vessel and 
nerve of the human foot.” 

Conversely, a shoe that hinders the natural 
action of any part or element of the human foot 
is not correctly fitted. 

Ever bear in mind these things: 

Be sure that every customer is correctly fitted. 

If the customer insists upon purchasing shoes 
that you know do not fit, throw the responsibilty 
on him or her by frankly stating that the shoes 


NECESSITY OF CORRECT SHOE FITTING 17 

selected do not fit properly. Go even further, 
record this fact on the sales slip, with the ex¬ 
planation that the customer would have the 
shoes selected in spite of definite advice given 
as to non-fit. Protect yourself in this way. 

You can not approve the fit where there is 
no fit. 

Avoid guessing at the fit — make it your 
special business to know. 

The normal wearing qualities and appearance 
of shoes are lessened 25 per cent to 50 per cent 
if incorrectly fitted. This puts an unwarranted 
and unplanned-for strain upon the shoe as well 
as upon the foot. There is thus a double damag¬ 
ing effect. It is like a two-edged knife that 
cuts both ways. 

HOW TO STUDY THIS VOLUME 

A word of advice in reference to reading and 
studying this volume on the correct fitting of 
shoes: 

There is a great deal of information in the 
volume. It covers the whole range of the sub¬ 
ject in detail. 

None of this material is what could be called 
difficult. However, because of the varied na¬ 
ture of the information, it cannot be digested at 
once or hurriedly. 

It should be read chapter by chapter and 
studied carefully. 

It should be re-read often; say every two or 


18 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

three months; and read again every year at least 
—until it becomes a part of your mental fibre. 

It should be read in the light of your own 
daily shoe-fitting experience. 

It cannot be a substitute for your own per¬ 
sonal efforts in putting into effect the principles, 
practices and facts here set forth. It can and 
will give direction to your experience and de¬ 
velopment as a scientific foot-fitter. 

This volume aims: First, to create in the mind 
and heart of the retail shoe salesman a full recog¬ 
nition of his responsibility and his opportunity 
as a professional fitter of shoes to human feet; 
second, to instil the desire and the determina¬ 
tion to know the subject of correct shoe-fitting 
thoroughly; third, to give the facts, ideas and 
opinions on this subject as far and as fairly and 
conscientiously as they can be given in the 
printed word. 


CHAPTER II 


THE HUMAN FOOT 

NORMAL AND ABNORMAL FEET 

People having to do with foot fitting differ 
widely in their ideas and conclusions as to the 
correct methods and principles involved in 
adapting the shapes of shoes to various foot- 
forms. 

In all the maze of theory, in all the conflict 
of judgment and practice there is one outstand¬ 
ing truth that everyone does and must admit. 
It is that the human foot is as God made it, 
not subject to whims of opinion but, considered 
as a whole and in its component parts, un¬ 
changed and unchangeable. 

Different types of the normal human foot 
there certainly are. Wrongly selected and im¬ 
properly fitted footwear cause natural reactions 
in foot use. Then there is the abnormal foot to 
be considered in all the great variety of forms 
and shapes that nature produces. The relation 
of footwear to abnormal feet is most important. 
It is around this subject that clusters the almost 
confusing range of opinion and practice. 

Before considering the several types of feet 
19 


20 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


in relation to shoes and foot-changes due to im¬ 
proper shoe fitting it is essential that the retail 
shoe salesman shall be familiar with the make¬ 
up of the foot in its natural, normal state. An 
accurate knowledge of the correct principles of 
shoe fitting is impossible without a working 
knowledge of the bones, joints, muscles and 
other elements of the human foot. 

STUDY ACTUAL FEET 

The printed description of the foot, aided by 
illustration, can help the earnest student in his 
desire to learn the composition of this useful 
and beautiful portion of the human frame. 
However, as “the proper study of mankind is 
man” so the best source of this necessary knowl¬ 
edge is the foot itself. The daily work of the 
retail shoe salesman affords unusual, diverse and 
constant opportunity to examine and study the 
foot. Aided by the description given here, 
which is illustrated carefully and accurately, 
and supplemented by examination and compari¬ 
son of an actual foot-skeleton that almost any 
physician in town will gladly allow, the student 
should soon be fortified with adequate knowl¬ 
edge of the subject sufficient to give him 
thorough confidence. 

BONES OF THE FOOT 

Twenty-six principal bones make up the 
framework of the human foot; these produce 


THE HUMAN FOOT 


21 


thirty-eight articulations or joints. On this page 
there are given illustrations to show the 26 




BONES OF THE FOOT 

The left hand figure shows the bones as viewed from the sole or 
under surface of the foot. The figure on the right shows the top 
view of the bones. 









22 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


separate bones of the foot. Study these care¬ 
fully and fix in your mind the name and 
location of each one of them. 

These bones articulate or, as is sometimes 
said, “are jointed” with the two long bones of 
the lower leg, called fibula (pronounced fib - 
yu-la) and the tibia (pronounced tib- i-a). 

NAMES OF THE FOOT BONES 

1. Os calcis (pronounced, os-&a/-sis) 

2. Astragulus (pronounced, as-^ag-ul-us) 

3. Scaphoid (pronounced, skaf- oid) 

4. Cuboid (pronounced, ku- boid) 

5. 6, 7. Cuneiform (pronounced, ku-ne-i- 
form) or 

Tarsal bones (pronounced, tar- sal) 

8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Metatarsals (pronounced, 
met-a-tar-sal) 

13 to 26. Phalanges (pronounced, fa-/aw/-es) 

27, 28. Sesamoid (pronounced, ses-a-moid) 

These names are not hard to learn, remember 
and pronounce. All good foot-fitters should 
make it a point to know these just as well as they 
know the names of common, every-day objects 
in their daily lives. 

It is interesting to note that all of these 
names have originally been taken from either 
the Greek or Latin. Something will be said here 
concerning their early meanings and how the 
terms came to be used to designate different 
bones of the human foot. 


THE HUMAN FOOT 


23 


OS CALCIS 

Os calcis is a combination of two Latin words, 
the first of which is the word ossis, meaning 
bone. The second half is taken from the Latin 
word calx, meaning heel. Combining the two 
we have, therefore, the term os calcis, meaning 
heel bone. 

The os calcis (No. 1), or calcaneum, is the 
largest bone of the foot. It is jointed with the 
astragulus and the cuboid. This is clearly pic¬ 
tured in the following full-page illustration 
showing a side view of the bones of the foot. 
The os calcis is the bone that extends backward 
from the principal joint and forms the main por¬ 
tion of the heel. It forms a large part of the 
main transverse arch of the foot. The trans¬ 
verse arch is the one that extends across the 
width of the foot. 

The os calcis, working in conjunction with the 
other two connecting bones (astragulus and 
cuboid) permits of the necessary action of the 
foot in all directions — upward and downward, 
inward and outward. 

In flat-foot the os calcis is thrust farther back¬ 
ward than nature intended and proper move¬ 
ment and operation with' the astragulus and 
other foot bones is hindered. 

ASTRAGULUS 

Astragulus is a Greek word designating one of 
a set of dice, such as those used in the gambling 


24 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 







THE HUMAN FOOT 


25 


game. Originally dice were made from the ankle 
bone of a calf. Later, the word came to have 
a broader meaning in referring to the bone form¬ 
ing the ankle joint of the foot. 

The astragulus (No. 2) is the top bone of the 
foot and forms the main joint upon which the 
action of walking depends. It is the only bone 
of the foot entering into the ankle joint. This 



bone has a smooth, circular upper surface that 
articulates or is jointed with both bones of the 
lower leg. It is a sort of “rocking” joint. The 
astragulus must be in perfect relation both with 
the leg bones and the other bones of the foot in 
order to assure comfort and health. The rela- 











26 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


tionship of the astragulus with other foot and 
leg bones is brought out in the cross-section 
illustration on page 2 5. 

If the arches of the foot are forced out of 
position, up, down or sideways, this joint is not 
permitted to do its work normally. An un¬ 
natural strain is thus thrown upon the entire 
body. This often results in producing harmful 
effects both upon the bones and the muscles. 
Rheumatism is a frequent ill-effect of an im¬ 
paired joint here. This joint is the main hinge 
of the foot employed when a person walks, hence 
the necessity of absolutely normal action, un¬ 
hampered by ill-fitting shoes. 

SCAPHOID 

The term scaphoid is also taken from the 
Greek. It means that the object is boat-like or 
that it is hollowed; resembling a boat. By re¬ 
ferring to the illustration showing the side view 
of the foot bones it will be noticed that the 
scaphoid has a very noticeable hollowed appear¬ 
ance. 

The scaphoid (No. 3 in the illustration on 
page 21) assists in forming the socket for the 
head of the astragulus. It is jointed with the 
three cuneiform bones and occasionally with the 
cuboid. 

CUBOID 

Cuboid came originally from the Latin word 
cubus meaning cube, or a square shaped object. 


THE HUMAN FOOT 


27 


By referring to the illustration it will be seen 
that the cuboid is somewhat square in forma¬ 
tion. For this reason the term cuboid was long 
ago chosen to designate the square-shaped foot 
bone. 

The cuboid (No. 4) articulates with the os 
calcis at the back and with the two outer meta¬ 
tarsal bones in front. On the inside it is jointed 
with the external cuneiform and sometimes it 
operates in connection with the scaphoid. 

CUNEIFORM 

Cuneiform is from the Latin and refers to 
anything that is shaped in the form of a wedge. 
It will be noticed from the view shown in the fig¬ 
ure that the first cuneiform is very noticeably 
wedge-shaped. Tarsal comes from a Greek 
word meaning frame work. 


^ yfo/'/n Bone 

id/ Cone/. 
Bone 

foie/Bone. 



B 


The cuneiform or tarsal bones (Nos. 5, 6, 7) 
are named internal, middle and external respec¬ 
tively. The internal cuneiform, which is the 
largest of the three, supports the large toe. It 



28 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


has a projection on its lower surface, or the sur¬ 
face closest to the sole of the foot, which is pro¬ 
vided for the insertion of parts of tendons of im¬ 
portant muscles. The middle cuneiform is the 
smallest of the three and is wedge shaped, with 
the narrow edge downward. The surface of 
this bone is considerably behind the line of the 



first cuneiform. In this manner it provides a 
space into which the second metatarsal bone fits. 
The arrangement of this bone is clearly shown 
in the cross-section view illustrated here. 

The third or external cuneiform operates on 
the outer side of the foot with the cuboid. On 
the inner side it operates with the middle cunei¬ 
form and the second metatarsal bone. In front 
it supports the third metatarsal. 

These bones form the principal arch of the in¬ 
step. Persons are troubled, as we know, with 





THE HUMAN FOOT 


29 


defective insteps more than in any other way. 
Misshapen joints at this point result from shoes 
that do not fit and consequently disarrange and 
throw out of position the finely adjusted work¬ 
ings of nature. They work havoc with foot- 
comfort. There are nine joints that cluster at 
this point. They must work in harmony and for 
that reason it is absolutely necessary that the 
bones be permitted to do their work without 
any interference from outside forces. Study 
the instep of the foot — it will be to your ad¬ 
vantage in fitting feet. 

METATARSALS 

Metatarsal is a combination of two words. 
Meta means beyond or ahead. Tarsal, as al¬ 
ready noted, is another name for the cuneiform 
bones. Therefore, the combination of the two 
parts gives the meaning of metatarsal as those 
bones that extend beyond the cuneiform bones. 

The metatarsal bones (Nos. 8 to 12) are five 
in number. The first of these is the strongest 
since it supports the great toe. The second is 
the longest and from this the others gradu¬ 
ally decrease in length. They are all slightly 
arched from the front of the foot extending 
back toward the heel. The spaces between 
the metatarsals gradually decrease in size 
towards the outer side. This arrangement is 
clearly shown in the figure on page 21. 

The excessive strength and size of the first 


30 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


metatarsal is peculiar to man. It is the chief 
lever upon which the body is raised with the 
assistance of the great muscles of the leg. The 
head of this bone is remarkably broad, to sup¬ 
port the ball of the great toe. It has on its 
under surface two grooves, separated by a ridge 
for the “play” of the two sesamoid bones. 

It will be noticed that the first, second and 
third metatarsals are arranged so that they will 
articulate with the first, second and third cunei¬ 
form bones. Both the fourth and fifth metatar¬ 
sals, however, are arranged so that they may 
operate with the cuboid. The former of these 
has something of a square surface at the point 
where it is jointed with the cuboid. However, 
the fifth metatarsal articulates with the cuboid in 
an oblique or diagonal position. (See page 28.) 

PHALANGES 

Phalanges is a Greek word meaning a line of 
soldiers. It is clear, of course, that the arrange¬ 
ment of the toes of the foot suggested to the 
ancient Greek a line of soldiers and consequently 
he used the word in referring to the bones of the 
foot. In referring to a single one of the pha¬ 
langes we sometimes use the word phalanx (pro¬ 
nounced, fa- lanks). However, “phalange” is also 
correct. 

The phalanges (Nos. 13 to 26) are fourteen 
in number. The great toe has two and all the 
other toes have three each. The forward ex- 


THE HUMAN FOOT 


3i 



ILLUSTRATION TO SHOW THE THREE MAIN GROUPS 
INTO WHICH THE BONES OF THE FOOT MAY BE 
DIVIDED 











32 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


tremities of the phalanges have expanded or 
flattened surface for the support of the nails 
and the pulp of the toes. 

The phalanges of the first row, which are the 
bones numbered 13 to 17 in the illustration, are 
convex (curved outward) above and concave 
(curved inward) on the under surface. The 
back portion has a single concave joint surface 
for the head of the metatarsal bone and the front 
extremity has a pulley-like shaped surface at the 
point where it joins the second phalange. 

The second row of phalanges (numbered 18 to 
21) are short but somewhat broader than the 
first row. 

The third row of phalanges, including the 
second phalange of the great toe (numbered 
22 to 26), are flattened from above downward. 
They are also somewhat extended or enlarged 
at both ends. At the inside end they are en¬ 
larged so as to join with the second row of 
phalanges. At the outside extremity they are 
expanded to support the nails and the rounded 
ends of the toes. 

The metatarsal bones and phalanges corre¬ 
spond in a general way to the bones of the 
fingers. There can be no doubt that nature in¬ 
tended mankind to walk with feet unclad. In 
that event the phalanges of the foot would play 
a much more important part than they do now 
under conditions of modern civilization. Even 
the ancients did not attempt to interfere with 


THE HUMAN FOOT 


33 


the natural plan concerning the unrestricted use 
of the foot. They used sandals principally as 
a protection for the bottom of the foot. 

We are to consider the nineteen bones here 
included (the metatarsals and phalanges) in 
relation to foot fitting more as something not to 
be abused than in any other light. The de¬ 
mands of present day civilization limit the pos¬ 
sibilities of reform as far as increasing the use 
of this portion of the foot. These bones artic¬ 
ulate forming many joints. The disturbance 
of one or more of the joints will serve to upset 
the entire foot by throwing out of relationship 
the general units and even, in some cases, the en¬ 
tire set of twenty-six bones and the joints they 
form. 

Remember that each joint has its accompani¬ 
ment of muscles, tendons, ligaments, and so 
forth. Anything that interferes with the nat¬ 
ural position of bones and joints provokes dis¬ 
cord and lack of harmony in the muscular action. 
It should be borne in mind that the muscles, in 
most cases, are what ordinarily give us the out¬ 
ward sign or warning of foot trouble. 

SESAMOID 

Sesamoid comes from a Greek word sesame. 
It is the name of an herb and in this instance is 
used to designate a bone with an oval shape re¬ 
sembling a sesame seed. Another example of 
a sesamoid bone is the kneecap. The shape 


34 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


of this can be very clearly distinguished from an 
examination of the kneecap. 

Sesamoid bones (Nos. 27 and 28) are under 
the joint of the great toe formed where the 
first metatarsal and the first phalange come to¬ 
gether. These bones are not accidental forma¬ 
tions due to the pressure but have been found in 
the infant. Probably at some far distant period 
they performed some important foot function. 
However, they have now become practically of 
no general importance and need not especially 
concern the retail salesman. For all practical 
purposes of shoe fitting, 26 bones make up the 
foot structure. 

BONE STRUCTURE AN OPERATING UNIT 

Each of these 26 bones and their accompany¬ 
ing joints has its own purpose and duty. To¬ 
gether they form the perfectly adjusted bone 
structure of the foot. The bones naturally di¬ 
vide into three groups. First, the tarsal group, 
which includes those numbered 1 to 7 in the 
figure on page 21. Second, the metatarsal group, 
which are the five bones numbered 8 to 12. The 
third group comprises the phalanges, of which 
there are 14 altogether. These are numbered 
13 to 26 in the illustration. Each of these is a 
necessary member of the whole. Foot health 
means that all are working together in harmony, 
performing full service without hindrance. 

No man has the right to change, interrupt, 


THE HUMAN FOOT 


35 


check, destroy or interfere in any way with a 
single function of a single bone, joint, muscle, 
ligament, blood vessel or nerve of the foot by 
wearing shoes that prevent full and free exer¬ 
cise of every natural function of these elements. 
Nature is accommodating and will allow of a 
reasonable amount of adjustment to meet man’s 
preferences in the matter of footwear style. 
However, in the long run she will exact a penalty 
for every violation of her laws and this will be 
in precise proportion to the extent of the 
violation. 

Study well the position and purpose of the 
bones and joints of the foot. It is useful, essen¬ 
tial knowledge in your profession. 

LEG BONES 

Tibia is a Latin word meaning a pipe flute. 
Originally the flute was made from the larger leg 
bone of an animal. Later the same term was 
used to designate the larger of the two leg bones. 

The tibia is the inner bone of the leg. It is 
much stouter and stronger than the fibula, its 
neighbor, with which it is united above and be¬ 
low. By its upper end it supports the upper leg 
bone while below it shares in the formation of 
the ankle-joint. It articulates with the upper 
and inner side of the astragulus. 

Fibula is also from the Latin. The use of this 
word to designate one of the leg bones seems 
rather far fetched. Fibula means a brooch or 


36 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

clasp — similar to the ordinary safety pin of 
today. This bone is in much the same relation¬ 
ship to the larger leg bone as the “spring” side 
of the safety pin or brooch. (See illustration.) 

The fibula is a slender bone with two enlarged 
ends. It lies to the outer side of the tibia with 
which it is firmly united by ligaments. In size 
it nearly equals the length of the tibia. 

MUSCLES AND OTHER ELEMENTS OF THE FOOT 

The muscles, ligaments and tendons of the 
foot and leg are many in number. These are all 
heavily weighted with foreign names. In the na¬ 
ture of things it is not practicable for the re¬ 
tail shoe salesman to identify and classify them 
in anything approaching the reasonably clear 
manner in which he can study the bones. It 
does not seem wise, therefore, to burden the 
student here with a quantity of technical terms 
concerning these foot elements. 

There are muscles in all parts of the foot, 
back, front, top, bottom; each with its attach¬ 
ing ligaments and tendons, each with its special 
function to perform. Needless to say the 
function of these muscles and other parts is 
movement . If a bone of the foot is thrust out 
of place by ill-fitting shoes, it follows that the 
muscle or muscles, ligaments and tendons con¬ 
trolling that bone must thus be disturbed in 
their work. This is the reason that incorrectly 
fitted shoes frequently betray their evil results 


THE HUMAN FOOT 


37 



BONES OF THE LEG 

The larger bone shown to the left in the drawing is the tibia. The 
smaller bone is the fibula. 




















38 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

in rheumatism or other forms of muscular 
troubles. 

MUSCLES PROTECT NERVES 

The muscles of the foot serve as a protection 
for the intricate system of nerves that direct 
affairs in the foot — both motion and feeling. 
Necessarily, any disadjustment of the bones 
of the feet that results in disturbing muscular 
arrangement and operation also upsets the 
nerves of the foot. Sooner or later the bad 
effects are telegraphed to the brain, and pain and 
sensative nerves are the physical results. Oddly 
enough the pain may be, and frequently is, felt 
in some other parts of the body. It must be 
remembered that the nervous system is an ex¬ 
tremely sympathetic institution. 

In another part of this volume more attention 
will be given to muscular relationships in the 
foot. 

ARTERIES AND VEINS 

Arteries and veins have their special duties 
to perform in relation to foot-health. Without 
entering into a scientific discussion of these, it is 
easily apparent that what is true of disturbance 
of bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments and nerves 
is true also of the arteries and veins. The re¬ 
sults of incorrectly fitted footwear bear down 
with equal weight in reference to the unre¬ 
stricted blood distribution required by the foot. 


THE HUMAN FOOT 


39 


Through the arteries nature provides for the cir¬ 
culation of strength-building blood to the foot. 
The veins are for the purpose of carrying away 
waste-removing blood from the foot. This im¬ 
portant work must not be tampered with if the 
foot is to continue in good health. 

When we consider the wonderful bone-struc¬ 
ture of the human foot, the muscular system to 
handle these bones and joints, the nerves to con¬ 
trol the muscular action, the blood to provide 
nourishment therefor — how can anyone will¬ 
ingly take part in disturbing the place and work 
of even the smallest foot element by wrong¬ 
fitting shoes? 

UNDISTURBED NATURE 

Remember this: Foot ills of nearly all sorts 
arise from distorting the foot by applying shoes 
that do not fit. This forces the bones of the foot 
into positions other than those that nature in¬ 
tended. From the disturbance of natural bone 
and joint arrangement follows the long train of 
foot ills. The remedy is in leaving nature alone 
as far as it is practically possible. The root of 
the whole matter is in respecting the bone-and- 
joint plan of nature. 

Know the bones of the foot and you have the 
key to the situation. You will then be in a posi¬ 
tion to apply that key to the door of correct shoe¬ 
fitting knowledge in actual service to your cus¬ 
tomers. 


40 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


ARCHES OF THE FOOT 

The bones of the human foot form a dome 
with two concave surfaces or arches on the 
under side. These two concave surfaces are the 
two main arches of the feet — the transverse 
arch extending cross-wise from the ball of the 



large toe to the ball of the small toe and the 
longitudinal arch extending from the heel for¬ 
ward to the cross-wise or transverse arch. These 
arches are therefore at right angles to each 
other. The illustration shown here brings out 
the “dome” effect of the transverse arches of 
both feet. 

Some authorities state that there are four 
arches. They divide the transverse arch into 
two parts, one across the foot just at the ball 
and one across the foot just forward of the heel. 
They also divide the longitudinal arch into two 
parts, one (the inner) from the inner lower side 
of the heel bone to the head of the first or great 
toe bone, and one (the outer) from the outer 
lower side of the heel bone to the head of the 
fifth or smallest toe bone. 



THE HUMAN FOOT 


4i 


For all practical purposes of fitting shoes it 
is not necessary to consider the arch formations 
as other than two arches, a cross-wise and a 
length-wise arch. 

THREE BEARING POINTS —THE “TRIPOD” 

The two arches have three bearing or resting 
points, sometimes called the tripod of the foot. 
They are heel, ball of large toe and ball of small 
toe. 

No object is any steadier than its base. The 
stability or steadiness of the body in standing 
and walking depends upon two 
bases — the two feet. Each 
foot in turn depends for stabil¬ 
ity upon a “tripod.” This is a 
three-sided or three-pointed 
base, having one point at the 
heel and two lines going from 
this heel point, one to the base 
of the first metatarsal at the big 
toe joint, and another to the base 
of the fifth metatarsal, at the 
little toe joint. The third line 
of the tripod passes between 
these two points — the first and 
fifth toe joint. The wider this 
line is the steadier is the balance of the body. 

Although the bones of all human feet are the 
same in general appearance and position, and 
although all human feet have arches of the same 



42 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


general formation, it is true that there are almost 
infinite variations even among people of the 
same race, while in different races there are 
characteristic differences. Nature never makes 
any two things exactly the same. 

VARIATIONS 

The great number of variations in the height 
and width of arches and the knowledge of 
how they may be properly fitted is one of the 
things that makes foot-fitting a science and its 
practice a profession. Each foot must be sepa¬ 
rated, considered and fitted accordingly. 

These things are true of what we call normal 
feet. The abnormal foot presents its own even 
more highly specialized individual plea for 
study, consideration and decision regarding the 
correct forms of foot covering. 

The natural foot arch is low. We all know this 
is true of uncivilized and semi-civilized peoples. 
Examples of such feet are found among the 
Filipinos and American Indians. 

Contrary to common belief, a high arch 
is not a mark of special physical advance¬ 
ment. On the average it is the result of 
generations of civilization in which footwear 
with high heels (in some degree) have altered 
the naturally low arch. The effect has been to 
produce an upward trend in the physical form 
of the arch although not in its physical better¬ 
ment. High arches are caused, in the long run, 


THE HUMAN FOOT 


43 


by shoes that restrict natural toe use and limit 
the operations of the muscles and ligaments. 
High heel shoes, producing changes in the 
natural relationships of many muscles, bones, 
ligaments, tendons, nerves, and the blood cir¬ 
culation system also produce arches higher than 
those planned by nature. 

A FIRM FOUNDATION 

Foot arches form one of the most perfect in¬ 
struments of the bodily structure. They are not 
only beautiful to the eye but useful in the ex¬ 
treme. They support the body weight on a 
solid foundation and yet are most flexible in 
action. These arches function in a hundred 
different ways. This is made possible through 
the remarkable system of muscles that are 
attached, by means of non-stretching tendons 
and ligaments, to the respective bones. The 
whole system provides firmness — “a firm foun¬ 
dation” — and a degree of flexibility. 

Be well assured that anything that disturbs 
the firmness of the foundation certainly affects 
the flexibility; and anything that disturbs the 
flexibility will surely affect the foundation of the 
foot. 

Fallen arches, flat-foot and other such re¬ 
lated ills affecting the arches are discussed in 
another portion of this volume. The purpose at 
this point is to set forth the physical character¬ 
istics of the arches as such. 


44 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

BOTH FEET 

The word “dome” has been used in describ¬ 
ing the two arches of the single foot. Strictly 
speaking this is incorrect. In referring to the 
arches of one foot the term “semi-dome” is the 
correct expression. The word “dome” properly 
describes the inverted hollow made by the arches 
of both feet side by side. The two feet are 
separate parts of one unit and should always 
be so regarded. A single foot does not represent 
a properly balanced and harmonized unit. How¬ 
ever, with the two feet taken together and re¬ 
garded as one whole, we have complete balances 
and perfect relationship one to the other. This 
is true of the arches of the feet. The following 
sketch illustrates the idea. 








THE HUMAN FOOT 


45 


By giving way naturally and easily to pressure 
of body-weight the arches provide the necessary 
flexibility to assure grade, comfort, springiness. 
They serve to take up the jar of walking in 
much the same way as does the system of springs 
in an automobile or carriage. 

Generally speaking, good feet have fairly 
rigid arches. They give way under activity only 
sufficient for the purpose. This fact is proved 
by an examination of the arches while a person 
is in a standing position and the whole of the 
body weight is pressing on the feet. Only in 
the exceptional case when the standing position 
is too long continued will there be noticeable 
any great “give” to the arch. 

Dr. Thomas S. Ellis 1 says: “The main purpose 
which the arch serves is, in my view, that room 
is provided in the hollow for various important 
parts, including blood vessels, nerves and a num¬ 
ber of small muscles, which are thus preserved 
from injurious influence which the weight of the 
body pressing against the ground would 
occasion.” 

CENTER OF GRAVITY 

The bodily structure, considered as a station¬ 
ary object, might be supposed to rest squarely 
on the dome formed by the arches of the two 
feet. But this is not the case because the func¬ 
tion of the arches is not chiefly to sustain the 

1 Author of “The Human Foot.” 


46 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

weight of the body. In standing, the heel bears 
this burden principally. In walking, the fore¬ 
part of the foot, or “tread,” carries the weight 
mostly, although, of course, it is not a continuous 
pressure. The center of gravity or balancing 
point of the body in a standing posture is not in 
the center of the dome but is a bit forward of 
the breast of the heel. 

ARCHES AND EXERCISE 

It only remains in this chapter to point out 
the very important fact that the foot arch is 
developed, strengthened and maintained by ex¬ 
ercise. “The arch of the foot is, in fact, formed 
by exercise; in infancy it hardly exists. As 
youth advances it becomes, or ought to become, 
more and more marked. To what degree full 
development may take it depends partly on in¬ 
heritance, still more on the freedom with which 
the foot is habitually used and the avoidance 
of long standing or of standing in a bad position. 
It is a question of physical education, designed 
or unconsciously effected or, on the other hand, 
of neglect or misuse.” — Dr. Ellis. 

Some suggestions as to exercises for arches are 
given later in this volume. 

Step by step as we consider the question of 
correct shoe-fitting the extreme importance of 
protecting and preserving this great piece of 
physical mechanism becomes apparent. In a 
large degree correct fitting has to do with the 


THE HUMAN FOOT 


47 


arches of the feet. Their natural condition can¬ 
not be recklessly disturbed without penalty. 
The retail shoe salesman confronts a real re¬ 
sponsibility at this point. He must understand 
the physical construction, characteristics, func¬ 
tions and limitations of foot-arches in order to 
qualify as a good fitter. 

Study the facts here written. Examine care¬ 
fully the illustrations. Observe minutely the for¬ 
mation of the many feet that come to your atten¬ 
tion as a salesman and a consulting expert in 
not only good but correct shoe fitting. 


CHAPTER III 

MEASURING THE HUMAN FOOT 
MEYER’S LINE 

Having become satisfied of the importance of 
properly fitting footwear; having, as a necessary 
foundation to correct fitting, acquired a suffi¬ 
cient working knowledge of the design and con¬ 
struction of the human foot; the next step is to 
learn how to measure the foot. This is neces¬ 
sary as a preliminary to supplying the proper fit 
from the stock of shoes in the store. 

Measuring a foot is somewhat more of an 
undertaking than securing the length and width. 
Here also enter into the process other elements 
such as the analysis with the eye as to type of 
foot, variations from normal and the effects of 
past misfitting. 

One cannot long be in the profession of 
retail shoe salesmanship without hearing some¬ 
thing of Meyer's Line. What is this “Line”? 
What is it that has caused its continued exis¬ 
tence as one of the sign-boards of the 
profession? 

A knowledge of this Line is necessary for a 
shoe fitter. It is also interesting as well as use- 

48 


MEASURING THE HUMAN FOOT 


49 


ful. For that reason an explanation of it is 
appropriate in this place. 

Over 60 years ago, in 1857 to be exact, Dr. 
Herman Meyer, Professor of Anatomy in the 
University of Zurich, Switzerland, published an 
article on the many deformities which, through 
vanity or ignorance, were being inflicted on the 
human frame, particularly on the feet through 
incorrectly designed footwear. He believed 
that the foot-clothing of the day was utterly bad 
for the health. His articles excited much in¬ 
terest and discussion, and in response to urgent 
requests, he published in separate book form 
his ideas and conclusions on the improper and 
proper shapes of shoes. 

Dr. Meyer, in his interesting and valuable 
treatise, dwells mainly upon the pinching of the 
toes by the footwear of his time and does not 
make any direct reference to fallen arches and 
other ills. It is interesting to note that sixty 
years of astonishing progress in shoemaking 
have not served to eliminate, or even hardly be¬ 
gin to eliminate, the very evils that moved him 
to published utterance, protest and recommend¬ 
ation for betterment. 

A “ PRIMARY LINE ” 

The basis of Meyer’s reasoning is his state¬ 
ment of the existence of a primary line , running, 
in a normal foot undisturbed by foot-covering, 
from the point of the great toe, in a straight 


So 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


line through the middle of the joint in the great 
toe (the joint formed by the great toe and the 
first metatarsal), emerging at the center of 
the heel. In other words, the extended line 
of the great toe, according to nature, comes out 
at the center of the heel. 

No one can deny the truth of this statement. 
It is self-evident. Tested by any normal foot, 
unchanged in shape by footwear, the truth is 
apparent. 

Dr. Meyer knew this to be so. Doubtless all 
anatomists then knew it and probably always 
had known it. But Dr. Meyer, moved by the 
fact that what he describes as the “ordinary 
soles” put on by the shoe manufacturers of his 
time violated this natural provision, he pro¬ 
tested, published the truth, proved his case and 
did what he could as a man of science to set right 
the designers and producers of shoes of his day. 
And so his name is linked with establishment of 
a primary foot line, almost as a discoverer. 

He says: “All feet are perfectly alike in the 
principles of their mechanical construction, and 
the only difference in healthy feet are those aris¬ 
ing from varying length or breadth.” The latter 
half of this statement is not quite comprehen¬ 
sive enough, but nobody will quarrel with the 
general truth stated. 

The illustration of Meyer’s Line as given 
here shows clearly the gist of the matter. Dr. 
Ellis goes a bit further and claims that all the 


MEASURING THE HUMAN FOOT 


Si 

toes radiate on separate lines from the same 
center-of-heel point, and, in effect, that what¬ 
ever is true of shoe construction in accord with 



Meyer’s Line is true in relation to all of the 
toes. 

Some explanation of the ins and outs of Dr. 
Meyer’s opinion in this matter is important here. 

THE GREAT TOE 

The great toe and the essential regard of the 
primary line, or Meyer’s Line, as we call it, 
are the chief bases of his protest. The great 
toe must not be hindered in its action in this 
straight line as nature intended — this is the 



52 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


idea on which he bases his whole case. Bones 
do not bend; ligaments do. The bones of the 
foot are all joined together and act in harmony, 
forming many joints. The points at which they 
are joined and the angles of attachment of ten¬ 
dons, ligaments and muscles are determined by 
nature and they act according to natural laws. 
By wearing shoes that forcibly change the 
angles of these attachments, the muscles, liga¬ 
ments and tendons cannot act upon, control and 
direct the bones and joints in the way that nature 
intended. This is not exactly what Meyer says, 
but is the logical deduction, briefly stated. 

“It is quite clear/’ he further states, “that the 
foot must get inside the shoe, and if the shoe 
differs in shape from the foot it is no less plain 
that the foot, being more pliable, must of neces¬ 
sity adapt itself to the shape of the shoe. The 
shoe ought to protect the foot but it has no busi¬ 
ness to distort its shape. A shoe which will 
really be a help in walking, and not, as is too 
often the case, a hindrance, should be adapted to 
the shape of the foot.” 

Continuing, in explaining the walking motion, 
Dr. Meyer says: “The great toe plays by far the 
most important part in walking; because, when 
the foot is raised from the ground with the in¬ 
tention of throwing it forward, we first raise 
the heel, then rest for a second on the great toe, 
and in lifting this from the ground the point of 
it receives a pressure which impels the body 


MEASURING THE HUMAN FOOT 


53 


forward. Thus in raising the foot, the whole 
of the sole is gradually, as it were, ‘unrolled’ up 
to the point of the great toe which again re¬ 
ceives an impetus by contact with the ground. 
The great toe ought therefore to have such a 
position as will admit of its being unrolled in the 
manner described; that is to say, it must so lie 
that the line of its axis, when carried backwards, 
will emerge at the center of the heel. This is 
its position in the healthy foot.” 

THE SMALLER TOES 

He asserts that the usefulness of the smaller 
toes is in giving sidewise support to the foot, 
and by reason of the peculiar bending of these 
toes in walking, to enable in a measure the front 
of the foot to lay hold of the ground in much 
the same way as do the claws of a bird. 

Until comparatively recent times it was the 
usual custom to make both shoes of a pair on 
the same last, without regard to the differences 
in shapes required by the right and left foot. 
However, the basic idea of Dr. Meyer’s state¬ 
ment regarding the bending of the primary 
line of the foot applies also to-day. It applies 
to those present day right-and-left shoe con¬ 
structions in which the great toe is bent outward 
just the same as it was in the single shape shoe 
of some sixty years ago. In referring to this 
Meyer explains that a shoe thus made cannot 
permit of the proper sort of toe action. Soles 


54 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

cut in any single shape without regard to the 
need of the right and left foot, cannot fail to 
press the toes one against the other or other¬ 
wise prevent the action of the foot 
along the primary line. The accom¬ 
panying illustration shows this. The 
toes naturally lie in the shape of a 
right-angled triangle, thus . The 
type of sole shown forces them into 
an isosceles triangle, thus A. 

Sometimes when the forcing is ex¬ 
treme, not only are the toes pressed 
close together, but are pressed over 
one another. If persisted in, this 
badly abnormal position becomes per¬ 
manent. If, in addition, the shoe is 
too short, the point of the great toe is 
pushed backwards, still further throwing it out 
of the natural primary line. 

DESIGNING THE SOLE 

Dr. Meyer explains how a sole should be 
measured and designed to meet the demands of 
nature as expressed in his now famous “Line.” 
He says: “The main point to be attended to is 
that the great toe shall have its normal position 
so that those functions which are proper to it 
may be called into play in walking. It must, 
therefore, as has already been pointed out, be 
in such a position so that its axis, when carried 
backwards, shall pass through the center of the 




MEASURING THE HUMAN FOOT 


55 


heel. In a straight line, therefore, in which the 
center of the heel and the axis of the great toe 
are included, we have the primary line necessary 
to designing the entire sole.” 

} It is worth while recording here 

{ also what Meyer says about sole 
shapes for feet in which the great 
toe has already been pressed in a 
slanting position. He says, “The 
question now arises: how is this to 
be done for feet in which, when 
naked, the toe retains a false di¬ 
rection? 

“The answer is simple: The sole 
ought to be cut exactly as if the 
great toe were in its proper posi¬ 
tion. If the sole be made to suit 
I the foot, the ordinary shape is 

simply reproduced since the deform¬ 
ity has arisen precisely through the foot 
accommodating itself to the shape of the 
shoe. The continuation of the injurious effects 
would thus be insured and they might perhaps 
even be increased. If on the other hand, the sole 
is made of the proper shape, it becomes possible 
for the great toe to assume its normal position 
and thus restore the foot to its true form.” 

THE BROAD SOLE 

Two other points made by the same author 
are valuable. He refers to the efforts that had 





CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


56 

been then made (1857) to overcome the evils 
of the sole-shapes then prevalent. One of these 
consisted in making the shoe very 
this subject he says: “The results 
arising from the use of a very 
broad shoe, in which, in addition 
to a correspondingly wide upper 
leather, the sole is made unusually 
broad in front, can be clearly un¬ 
derstood by reference to the illus¬ 
tration shown here. In this we have 
a straight sole without a pointed 
forward portion, but even with a 
sole of this kind the great toe can¬ 
not find a place in its true position, 
that is to say, in the line a-b. It 
still remains pressed outward, in a 
slanting position, passing indeed 
in the line c—d. Shoes in such 
a breadth of sole, which according to the current 
belief are without fault, are doubtless better, 
but are scarcely more suited for their purposes 
than shoes of ordinary make.” 

DRAWING THE FOOT OUTLINE 

The other effort to overcome the evils of 
which he complains was an attempt to do so 
by measuring the foot for shoes by drawing the 
outline of the foot on a sheet of paper. 

Concerning this plan, Meyer says: “In this 
expedient there is also, however, much decep- 


broad. On 



B 



MEASURING THE HUMAN FOOT 


57 


tion, the very foundation on which it rests being 
incorrect. It proceeds on the principle that 
there are primary differences in the structure of 
feet. This is an error. All feet are perfectly 
alike in the principles of their mechanical con¬ 
struction, The only differences in our healthy 
feet are those arising from varying length or 
breadth. In the original form of the feet we 
never meet with those essential differences, 
designated by shoemakers as straight or bent 
feet, and still less with such variations as arise 
from the position in which the great toe lies, or 
from the thickness of the ball at its root. Vari¬ 
ations of the latter description only indicate how 
far the form of the foot has passed towards the 
shape of the shoe; in other words, to what extent 
the foot has become deformed by shoes worn 
during a former period. 

“For healthy feet, therefore, a drawing is 
superfluous; it is sufficient to have the length 
and breadth and — most important of all — a 
knowledge of the structure of the human foot. 
The true form of the foot, moreover, is never 
attained by such a drawing. It is usually taken 
from a foot enveloped in a tightly fitting stock¬ 
ing. For this reason the foot is always in some¬ 
what of a slanted position because, from the 
constant pressure of the shoe, this slant comes 
to be assumed so readily that the very moderate 
force exerted by the stocking is quite sufficient 
to bring it about. The foot is consequently 


58 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

drawn with the toes naturally pressed together. 
A drawing taken from the nude foot, with a 
knowledge of the anatomy of the foot, is the 
only one that will give the correct form of the 
sole of any foot. 

“But while a drawing of the naked foot is 
unnecessary, it might still be of some advantage 
and might be used to some purpose by a shoe¬ 
maker who knows and is willing to apply the 
true principles on which a sole ought to be con¬ 
structed. It would do away with the necessity 
of a great many individual measurements and 
give him exact copies of any smaller defects 
which must always be taken into account in the 
construction of a shoe.” 

Meyer’s Line recognizes the axis of the nor¬ 
mal human foot as being the line from the point 
of the great toe, through the big toe ball joint to 
the center of the heel. No sole made without 
reasonable regard to this axis line can possibly 
meet the requirements of nature. The sole- 
shape should conform to the foot-shape as it is 
always found in a healthy foot. 

TEST 

The test of the foot-fitting quality of any 
shoe, judged by the Meyer’s Line standard is 
found in the answer to this question: In a foot 
incased in these shoes where will a line drawn 
backwards straight through the center of the 
big toe emerge? If it emerges at the center of 


MEASURING THE HUMAN FOOT 


59 


the heel, it meets the Meyer requirements; if 
elsewhere, particularly outside the heel, it fails 
to meet the test. 

MEASURE FROM HEEL TO BALL 

Authorities in correct fitting of shoes are al¬ 
most unanimous in agreeing that the true prin¬ 
ciple of measuring the foot is to find the length 
from heel to ball as the very first step in the 
process. 

The ball of the foot must fit in the place pro¬ 
vided for the ball in the shoe. Every last has 
such a place. 

Because the mere measure of the length-over¬ 
all of the foot does not absolutely assure that 
the ball joint will come in its proper place in any 
particular style of shoe, the principle of measur¬ 
ing the distance from heel to ball is important 
and necessary if proper fit is to be secured. 

Modern foot-fitting therefore first of all deter¬ 
mines this length. As the length of fingers of 
hands of different people vary greatly, so do the 
toes. Some people have very long toes, others 
short, others medium — without positive refer¬ 
ence to the length of the rest of the foot. For 
that reason it follows that measuring the length 
of the entire foot is not sufficient owing to this 
variation of toe-length. The ball joint must be 
accurately located. 

The expert foot-fitter will know his stock 
thoroughly. A well-planned stock carries shoes 


60 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

of every type for every type of foot. The ball- 
joint, determined by heel to ball measurements 
will be the focus-point and shoes that meet this 
measurement should be provided. 

After this measurement has been established 
the application of the other principles of 
measurement and fitting are to be observed and 
practiced in detail. Such matters as width, 
height of arch, toe-room, heel measurements, 
malformations and foot-troubles must all be 
given consideration. These will all be treated 
in their proper places in this volume. 


CHAPTER IV 

FOOT TROUBLES AND THEIR CORRECTION 

ABNORMAL FEET GENERALLY FOUND 

If all feet that the salesman is called upon to 
fit were normal the question of proper fitting 
would be serious enough. However, compara¬ 
tively few modern feet of civilized people are 
really normal. This fact complicates the work 
and adds to the amount of knowledge re¬ 
quired of the retail shoe salesman. Added to 
all this is the problem, faced daily, of providing 
corrective footwear. It has to do with fitting 
the feet that may or may not have been 
naturally normal, but which have, usually 
through incorrect fitting, become misshapen and 
injured; failing to function properly. This con¬ 
dition is often accompanied by more or less pain¬ 
ful results. 

SALESMAN DETERMINES 

The salesman is called upon, first, to deter¬ 
mine the nature and extent of the injurious foot- 
situation; second, to determine the course of 
action to relieve the situation and effect a cure, 
if possible, through the fitting of proper foot¬ 
wear to accomplish this purpose. 


6 2 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


Each case of this sort is generally “a law unto 
itself,” and must be judged on the basis of the 
conditions as found in the individual case. 
However, it is true that the various forms of 
foot-trouble do fall, as a rule, into fairly well- 
defined classes. The responsibility of the sales¬ 
man in this part of his profession need not be 
viewed with fear or doubt of personal capacity 
to understand and fit, provided study and obser¬ 
vation have provided the useful and thoroughly 
necessary knowledge of the forms of foot- 
trouble that demand and should receive relief 
and be placed on the road to cure. 

As a convenience in considering the various 
foot-ills, a chart has been prepared for the pur¬ 
pose of classifying foot troubles. These 
divisions are more or less general, but an effort 
to classify the disabilities of the feet would have 
to be general, as, of course, many ills and 
physical ailments have a close relationship, one 
to the other. There is consequently bound to be 
some overlapping in making any general classi¬ 
fication. 

PREVIOUS MISFITTING 

The retail shoe salesman, when he is called 
upon to serve a customer who has any form of 
foot trouble, faces the actual evidence of what 
has resulted from improperly fitted shoes. Per¬ 
haps he himself was the actual cause of the 
trouble — or some other salesman in his or 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 63 


Chart of FootTroubles 


Bone 

Troubles 


r F/attoot,Contracted Arches 
EnlargedJoints, Bunions 
Hallux Valgus, Gout 
\ Clubbed Foes 
Hammertoes 
Crumpledfoes 
Overlapped 7oes 


Skm 

Troubles 


Muscles 

Ligaments 

Etc 


f Corns 
Callouses 
Blisters 

J Ingrowing Hai/s 
' Abrasions 
F/ssurers 
Chilblains 


'Aches, Pains 
Stretched Tendons 
7eno - Synovitis 
Poor Circulation 
InF/ammation 
Rheumattsim 
Tenderness 
Flabbiness, Weakness 


Miscellaneous- 


i Mental D/stress 
Fatigue 
Awkwardness 
toss oFGrace of Earnad 
Sterility 

Various Bodily Ailments 


e 








64 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


another store. Perhaps he helped the evil game 
along at an early stage. Perhaps the customer’s 
vanity or desire for a stylish shoe regardless of 
fit, is at the bottom of the trouble. Perhaps it 
is ignorance. Vanity is harder to combat. 
Ignorance on the part of the customer cannot 
fairly be charged to himself. But ignorance 
on the part of the salesman cannot be defended 
— he is expected to know. Indifference on the 
part of the salesman as to the customer’s 
limited knowledge of the subject is almost 
criminal. It is a salesman’s duty to inform the 
customer concerning the things that should be 
known about the proper fitting of his or her 
own feet. 

To be sure, there are certain instances in 
which foot ills have not resulted from incorrect 
foot fitting, but these are comparatively few. 
The main exceptions are those troubles that are 
inherited or passed down from one generation 
to another, those resulting from accident and 
certain others that oftentimes come as a result 
of long or severe illness. 

A FORM OF ROBBERY 

Improper shoe fitting eventually causes some 
form or forms of foot-trouble. The result is 
decreased efficiency in both the physical and 
mental powers of the customer. Has any person 
a right knowingly and willingly to be a party to 
such a thing? Is it not being a party to a very 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 65 

definite form of robbery — taking away a por¬ 
tion of a person’s rightful possession of physical 
strength and mental power? 

SALESMAN’S GREATEST ASSET 

Without exception, the retail shoe salesman’s 
greatest asset in the exercise of his profession, 
is his ability to fit shoes correctly. Having this 
ability, which is squarely and inevitably the 
fruit and result of knowledge, he is in a position 
to help in the correction of foot-troubles that 
other salesmen’s neglect or ignorance or the 
customer’s vanity or ignorance have developed. 
In this connection how very true is the old say¬ 
ing: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound 
of cure!” Human feet, fitted to shoes correctly 
from childhood up will never have trouble except 
in the unusual cases where the ill comes through 
inheritance, accident or illness. Of course, no 
salesman can be blamed for these cases but he 
should be prepared with knowledge and ability 
to afford relief, correction, and if possible, cure. 

The purpose of this chapter is to provide the 
salesman with that knowledge; the application 
thereof will determine his ability. 

STUDY EVERY FOOT 

Retail shoe salesmen who are really experts 
in their work study every foot they fit every 
time they fit it. They are on the lookout for 
changes and signs of weakness. They know the 


66 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


most evident signs of foot-weakness are running- 
over of the heels, inward-turning of the ankles, 
outward-spread of the shoe at the small toe, 
cramped toes, slight enlargement of the large 
toe joint, callouses on various parts of the foot, 
excessive perspiration, corns, and so forth. 
Early recognition of a tendency to weakness 
generally means quick and permanent conquer¬ 
ing of the tendency if knowledge of what-to-do 
is at once applied. Time, money, efficiency, 
worry, suffering, all are thus certainly saved. 
It is good service. 

A salesman equipped with this knowledge and 
ability can succeed with only fair merchandise 
to work with where the salesman without this 
ability would fail with the best footwear in the 
world. 

NO DOUBT 

Can there be any doubt regarding the vast 
volume of foot ills that have resulted from wrong 
footwear fitting, or the corresponding necessity 
for improvement in this direction? The univer¬ 
sal testimony of military boards and camp offi¬ 
cials in the United States concerning this thing, 
covering the few months during which we took 
an active part in the world war, throws sound, 
official evidence into the scales. This has 
already been referred to in Chapter I.. 

As an offset to this unpleasant aspect of 
affairs, be it remembered that the injured and 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 67 

abused feet of soldiers responded wonderfully 
to fitting out with footwear that was designed to 
be and was almost wholly along scientific lines. 
With proper-fitted shoes the weakened condition 
of feet complained of by military leaders 
steadily improved and in a good percentage 
of cases complete cure was effected. The retail 
salesman may thus be assured that his knowl¬ 
edge of foot-faults will be thoroughly worth 
while. He may also be assured of the great good 
that can and will result from the daily applica¬ 
tion of his knowledge. 

“GETTING BY” 

You can perhaps “get by” without this knowl¬ 
edge, or with only a little of it. But why be 
content with merely “getting by”? Why not 
aspire to advance, to go to the top? Viewed 
from any angle, your knowledge of this human¬ 
ity-service cannot help but serve you well in the 
up-climb. 

The old expression, “The fear of the Lord is 
the beginning of wisdom,” means something in 
its application to this sort of knowledge. The 
fear that one will fall short of success as a re¬ 
tail shoe salesman unless one has an adequate 
foundation in knowledge of the varied foot¬ 
disabling ills is the beginning of this kind of 
wisdom. If a person has a healthy fear of such 
a thing he is then in the right frame of mind 
to go forth and acquire the facts, experience and 


68 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

judgment required and expected of a thoroughly 
trained specialist. 

When the salesman relieves, corrects or cures 
foot trouble for a customer he gives to that 
person something that cannot be denied or be¬ 
littled. Nothing so surely begets the confidence 
of the customer in the ability and reliability of 
the salesman. 

DEALERS AND MANUFACTURERS NOT TO BLAME 

It is a common thing for shoe-fitting enthu¬ 
siasts outside of the trade to cry out against 
shoe manufacturers with the charge that they 
do not, generally speaking, provide correct-fit¬ 
ting shoes. A well-known military critic says: 
“It is rare to find in civil life a shoe that even 
approaches the normal foot in shape and outline. 
Few manufacturers make them, as they are not 
salable to the general public whose choice is 
swayed rather by considerations of fashion than 
comfort. For this reason, even the so-called 
orthopedic lasts which aim to correct foot de¬ 
formities are not perfectly shaped on natural 
lines. They do not accurately follow normal 
foot outlines under expansion but make certain 
concessions, as to narrowness and other matters, 
to popular ideas as to sightliness. 

“The idea apparently dominating the con¬ 
struction of nearly all civilian shoes is that it is 
far better that footwear should be novel in 
appearance rather than sensible in shape. 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 69 

“Only for very young children can reasonably 
correct shoes be found. 

“It is sufficient to say that the civilian shoe 
last, of whatever its special form or type, is 
habitually much narrower than the foot it is 
intended to represent and that the vast majority 
of them are so shaped that the toes will be 
cramped together and bent out of their normal 
alignment.” 

We are bound in entire devotion to the truth 
to say that what this man writes is, at least to 
a large degree, true. But in almost no respect is 
it fair to blame the manufacturers for the state 
of affairs that exists. They maintain their fac¬ 
tories to provide what is demanded — they have 
comparatively little to do with creating that de¬ 
mand. They certainly are bound to supply what 
the public asks for. As long as the great, almost 
universal cry is for shoes that are so-called 
fashionable, regardless of foot-health, in viola¬ 
tion of the primary laws of foot construction, 
just so long will the manufacturers produce 
goods accordingly. And no one can justly blame 
them. 

A considerable number of far-seeing manu¬ 
facturers are today taking a strong stand in this 
direction and are pushing hard through maga¬ 
zine advertising and otherwise to educate the 
public in these matters. More and more dealers, 
also alive to the importance of the matter, are 
doing their part in informing their customers on 


70 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


the principles of health-allowing shoes, carrying 
such shoes in stock and training their salespeople 
in these ways. 

What is true of manufacturers in respect to 
recognizing the need is also as true of dealers. 
However, because dealers are much nearer to the 
public than the manufacturers it is possible for 
them — the dealers — to exercise a much more 
effective influence with the people in the direc¬ 
tion of proper-fitting shoes. Convinced of the 
vital importance of this thing the dealer, through 
his salespeople, can and should use his influence 
in this way. 

The influence of maufacturers on public de¬ 
mand has been comparatively slight. The in¬ 
fluence of retail shoe salesmen can and should be 
enormous. Meanwhile, of course, the salesman 
who is sincere in desiring to fit his customers 
properly must use his influence not only with the 
customers but in seeing that his store carries 
shoes that enable him to fit feet as they should 
be fitted, 

WHEN “ FASHIONABLE ” SHOES MAY BE WORN 

Here let it be said that because nature is so 
wonderful and so patient and so kind, it is 
entirely permissible to permit “dress shoes,” 
party shoes, slippers, and the like, in spite of the 
fact that they do depart considerably from the 
rules governing correct shoe fitting. Smart 
shoes, even of substantial heel-height, can be 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 71 

worn at fairly frequent intervals if not worn 
too long at a time and if the foot is allowed 
ample time to recover from the more or less 
severe effects of the so-called fashionable shoes. 
Many doctors and health exponents will not en¬ 
dorse this view, but there is, nevertheless, con¬ 
siderable weight of authority behind it. 

In working hours, however, the feet should 
not be cramped unnaturally, thus preventing 
proper movement and operation of any or all 
bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, blood vessels 
and nerves, either in standing, sitting or walk¬ 
ing. Observance of this truth will render slight 
chances of injury by wearing strictly “fashion¬ 
able” shoes at parties and social gatherings. 

Sport shoes, as we call them, are already work¬ 
ing quite a beneficial change in many women’s 
feet. More and more our women are get¬ 
ting out of doors and walking. They are 
playing golf, tennis, etc., and are wearing appro¬ 
priate shoes for these activities. And further¬ 
more, these shoes are “smart shoes” too. They 
represent a big step in the right direction. 

Nature does not allow a long-continued bind¬ 
ing or distortion of the natural straight (or 
nearly straight) line formed by the great toe 
and its lengthwise connecting bones, without 
exacting a penalty. Since the evils of wrong 
foot-fitting may be, and very often are mani¬ 
fested elsewhere than in the foot, a customer 
really having foot trouble may not be conscious 


72 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


of the fact. The ability to recognize and de¬ 
tect such causes is one of the things that makes 
the work of the retail shoe salesman a profes¬ 
sion. 

VARIOUS FORMS OF FOOT TROUBLE 

The 26 bones of the foot, forming 38 distinct 
joints, provide plenty of chance for foot 
troubles. About a dozen different forms of dis¬ 
ability are directly connected with the bones of 
the foot. 

BONE TROUBLE 

When we classify foot troubles as of the bones 
it is understood, of course, that most of the 
trouble manifested in the bones is actually in 
the ligaments, muscles, etc., connected with the 
bones involved. For, generally speaking, bones 
preserve their shape and substance, except in 
breaking. In reality the bone foot-troubles refer 
to the disturbance of the normal relations of 
the bones, one to another. But because some of 
the troubles are manifested in change of bone 
and bone outlines it is best to make this 
classification. 

FLATFOOT 

Flatfoot comes about through lowering of the 
arches of the feet. These arches are, as has 
already been shown, not solid, rigid masses, but 
are made flexible by many bones and joints 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 73 

operated on by accompanying tendons, liga¬ 
ments and muscles. The following illustrations 
show the effect of fallen arches upon the bones 
of the foot. They also show how the foot be¬ 
comes lengthened, due to the flattening of the 
arch. 

The arches are planned by nature to give 
flexibility, to give ease, grace and comfort in 
walking; to assist in bearing without jar the 
weight of the body in walking, in man’s char¬ 
acteristic upright position. 



Apes and monkeys are flatfooted animals. 
They cannot walk in an upright position except 
for short distances. Even then they use their 
arms to assist. The foot-arch, as found in man, 
is his own peculiar property. 









74 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


Presumably, flatfoot is the most common of 
pedal troubles and one of the worst. Broken 
or fallen arches cause it. 

Be on the lookout for natural flatfoot. This 
represents those cases in which the trouble has 
existed since birth. We know that a baby’s 
feet are normally nearly flat and that the arches 
are developed through the use of the muscles 
as the child grows. Sometimes, because of 
special reasons such as general poor health, lack 
of exercise or early over-doing, the arches 
never do develop. 

This is natural flatfoot and as far as judg¬ 
ment can be rendered, they give suitable, pain¬ 
less service to the owners and are not capable of 
correction. The flatness is rigid and in such 
cases natural. Do not meddle with such feet 
unless there are other troubles. If natural flat 
feet, however, point outward, trouble may 
be expected later in life. Such cases should 
be sent to the orthopedic surgeon or foot 
specialist. 

The other form of flatfoot is that generally 
known as acquired flatfoot. It occurs at some 
period in life when the arch has been developed 
to full growth, or a stage near to full growth. 
Acquired flatfoot is of two types — the flexible 
and the rigid. Flexible flatfoot is much more 
common. There are many variations of this 
foot trouble. These range from a slight drop¬ 
ping of the arch, through the different heights, 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 75 

to complete flattening. A person suffering with 
complete flatfoot has been through all stages. 
Flatfoot, in its extreme cases, does not happen 
at one fell swoop. It is a process extending over 
a considerable period. The time to correct it is 
as soon as it is discovered. 

Because mankind reaches maturity some¬ 
where around the twenty-fifth year, it follows 
that there is much greater chance for foot-injury 
in early life. It is therefore important to fit the 
feet properly in childhood, youth and young 
manhood and womanhood. If a person reaches 
maturity with no foot-trouble there is much less 
likelihood of injury thereafter. Also, it is easier 
to correct foot troubles before maturity than 
after. 

Unfortunately in one respect the early stages 
of flatfoot are not very painful. It usually takes 
some other complication to awaken the sufferer 
to the need of taking some definite action in hav¬ 
ing the trouble corrected. 

The responsibility for early detection rests 
with the salesman to a considerable degree. 
The next stage in lowering of the arch will also, 
as a rule, not be so very painful but can more 
easily be detected by the salesman. Of course, 
the extreme, or last stage, makes itself known 
with such severe pain as to compel the sufferer 
to seek relief at any cost. Real suffering accom¬ 
panies this stage, with loss of strength, energy, 
and efficiency — sometimes fever. 


76 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


SYMPTOMS 

To detect early-stage flatfoot with certainty 
is not so easy. However, it is worth looking for, 
and these directions will help you. 

The outer metatarsal will likely be the first 
to show signs of falling. 

Feel of the knob-like projection at the rear 
and see if it clears the floor in standing. If it 
touches, the arch has weakened a bit. 

Very slight pains at the head of this bone or 
elsewhere in the foot and tendency of the ankle 
to turn to the outside. This should be viewed 
with suspicion as pointing to flatfoot. 

The detection of secondary and final stages of 
flatfoot is made much easier because the evi¬ 
dences are more pronounced. 

The outer metatarsal will have fallen enough 
to be noted. 

Pains more clearly defined and localized in 
the metatarsal joints. 

Look for callouses on the bottom of the feet. 

Tendency of the feet to turn unduly outward. 

Examine the shoe for wearing points on inner 
surfaces — heel and sole. 

Examine the joints for flexibility, particularly 
on bottom of the foot under metatarsal joints 
of toes. 

Ascertain if the ball of the big toe is bearing 
its full share of body-weight. This will be in¬ 
dicated by the condition of the skin. 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 77 

See if the big toe joint is higher than the same 
joints of the two neighboring toes. 

Dr. Bradford advises in this connection: “The 
spreading power of the front of the foot should 
also be examined when the weight falls upon it, 
and when the heel is raised as in walking up and 
down stairs. The side flexibility at the cross 
joint of the ankle should be determined, 
especially to the inner side, as an abnormal stiff¬ 
ness in this direction marks a tendency toward 
the development of flatfoot. This can be de¬ 
tected by holding the leg firmly near the ankle 
with one hand while the other hand grasps the 
front of the foot and moves it sideways.” 

The ankle bone should not be unduly promi¬ 
nent on the inside. Study the side-contour or 
outline of the foot carefully for any defects 
noticeable to the eye. 

Stiffness of ball-joint, with inflammation, is to 
be looked for. One arch of the foot cannot 
fall without affecting the other. The transverse 
or cross-arch is, however, so much lower natu¬ 
rally than the arch which extends lengthwise in 
the foot that its lowering is not accompanied 
by such serious and severe effects as that re¬ 
sulting from trouble with the higher arch. Short 
shoes and high heels, either or both, will increase 
the cross-arch difficulties to a marked degree. 
Short shoes, forcing the toes backward and up¬ 
ward, compel the cross-arch to move downward. 
This position causes disused muscles in the toes. 


78 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

These useless muscles then contract and hold the 
toes in the unnatural position. As a result, 
the work that ought to be done by the toes 
is being forced upon the fallen cross-arch. (It 
should be borne in mind that reference is made 
here to too short shoes and high heels on feet in 
which the cross-arch has already fallen.) Bun¬ 
ions, enlarged joints, callouses across the ball 
and sometimes a nervous condition result in con¬ 
sequence. 

Francis A. Guinivan, for a quarter of a century 
a close student of foot ills, says on this point: 
“Unfortunately the public does not realize that 
these conditions generally develop during child¬ 
hood, when the bones are soft and pliable. In 
many instances the cramped toes are developed 
by the child outgrowing his shoes, and as the 
growth is very slow and gradual, pressure is de¬ 
veloped correspondingly. 

“A person may become so accustomed to the 
effect that the abuse can be continued after the 
bones and muscles have received their full 
growth and hardness. This abuse may often¬ 
times prevail without pain until the first sign 
of muscular weakness is developed. It is very 
important to keep children fitted with shoes of 
the proper size and shape up to the time their 
bones become rigid and assume nearly their full 
growth. This period varies, many times con¬ 
tinuing until a person is twenty years old, but 
most of the growth and firmness of the bones is 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 79 

assumed before that age. After that period 
people are less able to force their feet into shoes 
that will cause weakness or deformed conditions. 

“While this trouble deals with the longitu¬ 
dinal arch (which is the arch that runs length¬ 
wise in the foot) it is mentioned at this time with 
the transverse arch — because its origin is 
generally the same, and is developed during the 
same period of abuse as the transverse arch 
trouble and correction is along the same general 
lines.” 

These forms of flatfoot, with their varying 
degrees of seriousness may be benefited by cor¬ 
rect fitting treatment, excepting where it is the 
clearly apparent duty of the salesman to send 
the customer to a foot specialist. 

How shall the case be handled? 

Certain facts must guide the salesman. He 
faces the most important part of this aspect of 
his profession — the what-to-do stage. 

A flat foot is proof that the whole part of the 
foot involved is out of place to a greater or 
less degree. The problem is to put it back 
whence it came. 

Since it did not change position all at once it 
cannot be put back at once. “For a flat foot 
to become arched involves changes in the bones 
which can only be effected in time,” says a dis¬ 
tinguished surgeon. The gradual change down¬ 
ward was gradual. So likewise must be the 
change upward. This is the first guide to go 


80 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

by. Little by little the injurious condition may 
be remedied. If the trouble is in one of the 
early stages it may be possible for you to fit 
the foot in proper-shaped shoes at once. If 
further advanced, the return to normal footwear 
will likely have to be by degrees, with wise use 
of proper support, with gradual building up 
through exercises until nature has restored the 
foot to its full functions. It may be put down 
as a rule that the sooner the foot is put in abso¬ 
lutely correct shoes the better all around. 


CHAPTER V 


FOOT TROUBLES AND THEIR 
CORRECTION {Continued) 

CONTRACTED ARCHES 

In cases where the trouble is in the nature of 
contracted arches there is the added danger of 
the customer rather liking the effect of the high 
arch under the mistaken belief that a high arch 
is something aristocratic, a sign of good breed¬ 
ing, fashionable. It is, however, just as abnor¬ 
mal as flatfoot and demands care and correction 
just as much. The muscles and ligaments in 
contracted arches, also contract and tend to be¬ 
come so set that the bones are held in this 
abnormal position. 

Women frequently point to a higher-than-nor- 
mal arch as reason for wearing high heels. 
Truth compels the statement that the cause of 
the contraction should be removed and the foot 
restored to its normal shape, in which high heels 
have no safe place as a regular thing. 

SYMPTOMS 

Look for sensitiveness at the top of the foot in 
cases where contracted arches are found. The 
outer part of the longitudinal arch will likely 


82 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

be higher than usual. The cuneiform bones are 
apt to lie very closely under the skin, giving rise 
to pain under the pressure of the shoe-lacing 
or buttoning. Corns and callouses may be found 
at the heel and ball in this form of trouble. Of 
course, pains in the forepart of the foot may be 
expected, and often in the leg. The shoe will 
likely wear away on the outside. 

Unless this form of foot-ill is hereditary 
(passed down from other generations) or due to 
accident or illness, and is thus rigidly fixed, 
shoes should be fitted to permit the gradual 
coming down of the arch. 

BUNIONS AND ENLARGED JOINTS 

One of the most common, although not the 
least painful of foot-troubles, is the familiar bun¬ 
ion , or enlarged big toe joint. This ill is entirely 
the result of pressure, which means, of course, 
wrongly-fitted shoes, worn for a considerable 
period. A bunion is an abnormal growth on the 
bones. Ordinarily it is found over the second 
joint of the great toe, sometimes on the third 
joint of the little toe. 

Inflammation is the first step. This becomes 
more severe as the pressure continues. Joint 
alteration always results in inflammation, also an 
attempt by nature to repair the damage. The 
enlargement may be all around the joint of the 
big toe, or only on the side toward the other 
foot. When there is enlargement all around it is 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 83 

caused by pressure on the end of the big toe. 
When in addition there is pressure on the side, 
the growth will be on the side of the toe. 

This double pressure forces the big toe back¬ 
wards and inwards, causing the ball, which is 
the important bearing point at this joint, to 
spread the two bones meeting at this point at an 
angle. This in turn, causes the arch bones to 
lower. This lowering of the transverse arch 
pushes the large joint outward thus spreading 
apart the ends of the two bones here jointed 
and affording the groundwork for the growth 
and development of a bunion. The cartilage 
or gristle between these two bones tends to 
thicken and nature forms new cartilage to 
make up for the displacement. Swollen, sen¬ 
sitive flesh at this point may be looked for, and, 
under continued pressure, will be painful. New 
bone as well as new cartilage is formed, and the 
unsightly appearance of the foot with a bunion, 
results. Nature repairs, as a rule, by adding on. 

It is commonly said that a broken bone that 
has knit together is stronger than before, be¬ 
cause nature has built-up, or added-to, at the 
point of breakage. When a joint is forced into 
an unnatural angle, as at the big toe, nature 
goes to work in the same way, and adds-to; 
the result is a bunion. 

Bunions and joint enlargements are not 
hereditary, as many believe. People inherit 
short, long, narrow or wide feet, but never 


8 4 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


bunions or enlarged joints. These are the direct 
result of pressure. It can safely be said that a 
person who never wore a pointed-toe, too-short, 
too-narrow or too-long shoes, was never afflicted 
with this trouble. 

ADVANCED STAGE 

Where the bunion or enlarged joint has been 
allowed to exist so long as to become set, it is 
doubtful if there is a chance for a return to nor¬ 
mal. All that can be done in such a case is to pro¬ 
vide shoes that do not exert undue pressure at 
the big toe joint; being careful that the rest of 
the foot is correctly fitted. Some manufacturers 
produce shoes called “bunion shoes,” intended to 
fit this sort of a foot. If these shoes preserve the 
principles of good fitting as to the other parts of 
the foot, they should be fitted. If, however, the 
bunion is so tender as to permit of absolutely 
no pressure, it is better to advise especially-made 
shoes that will overcome the objection of hurt¬ 
ing the bunion, and still be snug and well-fitted 
at the waist, instep and heel. In other words, 
it would be wrong to sacrifice the other im¬ 
portant points of fitting to correct or relieve the 
bunion. 

Appliances are made that render good ser¬ 
vice in relieving severe pain by relieving the 
pressure of the shoe at the painful point. These 
may be used to good advantage during the 
period of care. However, caution must be em- 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 85 

ployed to see that nothing interferes with the 
circulation. At all events, a non-restricting 
right-fitting shoe must be worn. 

In extreme cases, it will be well to send the 
sufferer to a competent surgeon — removal of 
the excessive bone is the only possible way out. 
What makes it doubly difficult to fit a foot 
having a bad bunion is this: A shoe that does 
not press painfully on the bunion will oftentimes 
be found to be too large for the foot as a whole, 
and thus carry its own special dangers and de¬ 
fects. 

Mild or medium-advanced bunions will be re¬ 
lieved and eventually the foot will resume its 
normal function at the big toe joint, if properly 
fitted shoes are worn; depending of course on 
the size and age of the bunion, and the age of 
the customer. Nature works in repairing dis¬ 
turbances in proportion to age — the younger 
the person, the faster the repair. 

In advanced cases that still are not severe 
enough for the surgeon, the best course to follow 
is to see that no further aggravation is per¬ 
mitted. 

Here again, remember this: prevention beats 
cure. No mistake will be made if shoes are cor¬ 
rectly fitted. 

HALLUX VALGUS 

Hallux valgus is the technical term for “bent 
big toe,” that is, where the big toe is turned 


86 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


outward from its normal straight line. It is an 
extremely common condition in this age of nar¬ 
row-toe shoes. Indeed, it is almost universal. 

In this situation, the big toe joins the met¬ 
atarsal at an unnatural angle, as described in 
the paragraphs on bunions. The “bending” 
may consist of only the first bone of the big toe 
or may include both, depending on the nature 
of the point of the shoe which has caused the 
deviation — whether the toe begins to point well 
forward or farther back. Ingrowing toe-nail is 
a common result where only the first bone is 
turned. By reference to the chapter in this 
volume, treating of “Meyer’s Line,” the whole 
matter will be made clear. 

It seems fair to say here, that like all rules, 
some little elasticity may be allowable in form¬ 
ing a judgment. There can be no doubt of the 
entire correctness of the Meyer’s Line theory. 
At the same time, the average retail shoe sales¬ 
man in the course of a year will fit the feet 
of many men and women of advanced years, 
in which the big toe is slightly bent outwards, 
and a good proportion of the customers, if 
questioned, would state that they have no 
trouble, nor ever have had because of this fact. 
That is the practical side of the matter. How¬ 
ever, let it be clearly understood that we believe 
this to be true only in cases where the bending is 
comparatively slight. Nature adjusts little 
things readily and without special penalty. But 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 87 

because this is so, it should be no excuse for a 
salesman departing from the great fundamental 
principle involved; avoid giving way to the 
easily-accepted conclusion that “it’s all right 
anyhow,” for it is not. 

Hallux valgus shows deviations or bending 
from the true line from very slight to as much as 
twenty or more degrees. Any engineer knows 
that power sent around an angle diminishes. 
Likewise any substantial degree of turning cer¬ 
tainly has a harmful effect upon the power and 
utility of the foot-muscles, bones, ligaments, and 
all; not to forget some of the other serious re¬ 
sults, as bunions, fallen arch, corns and ingrow¬ 
ing nails that follow in this train as a natural 
consequence. 

A shoe that allows the big toe to lie in its 
normal position prevents this deformity. Where 
it is just beginning or is in an early stage, as a 
result of wrong shoes, a return to correct-shaped 
footwear will in time serve to correct the situ¬ 
ation. 

The little toe is also frequently bent in; 
always where the outer margin of the sole points 
inward. Many generations of almost disuse of 
the little toe have rendered this ailment of much 
less annoyance than the bending of the big toe, 
which plays a far greater part in foot move¬ 
ments. However, it should be remembered that 
it is always best not to impede nature any¬ 
where. 


88 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


INNER MARGIN OF SOLE 

At this point it seems appropriate to comment 
on the fact that the great majority of civilian 
shoes, even many otherwise correctly designed 
styles, are not strictly straight on the inner sole 
margin. The accepted army shoe is not entirely 
straight in this respect. Munson explains this 
variation from the generally-accepted theory as 
follows: 

“The army shoe is not ideal with respect to 
the straightness of its inner sole margin, but 
neither was it intended to be. It was not made 
ideal for the reason that the foot of the average 
soldier which it was intended to cover was not 
perfect in its toe alignment and could not, in the 
vast majority of cases, be made so.” 

This explanation is of course applicable to 
civilian foot-fitting. The conscientious sales¬ 
man will ever strive for the ideal with each cus¬ 
tomer, feeling that he is contributing his “bit” 
toward the general good and is helping forward 
the day when all men and women will insist upon 
being correctly fitted in shoes. 

The danger to be avoided is a slackening in 
devotion to the ideal because of the indifference 
or ignorance of the public and the fact that shoes 
are not made, on the average, as they ought to 
be, in harmony with nature’s requirements, but 
rather the dictates of an ever-changing 
fashion. 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 89 
CLUBBED TOES 

When the toes are long compressed, the 
second, third and fourth form almost flat or 
plane surfaces where they lie alongside each 
other, and sometimes are larger at the ends. 
They are then what are termed “clubbed toes.” 
Under this compression the muscles do not have 
a chance to do their appointed work and the toes 
become mere extensions of the ball of the foot 
rather than “willing helpers” in the process of 
locomotion. Needless to say, clubbed toes are 
formed only by tight, narrow-toe shoes. 

Many people labor under the false belief that 
if a narrow-toe shoe is plenty long it must be 
all right. The truth is that it must also be wide 
enough to allow normal use of the toes; this 
apart from the question of bending the big and 
little toes. It is entirely true that a shoe may 
be as pointed as you wish, provided it is practi¬ 
cally straight on the inside sole line, wide enough 
everywhere up to and including the toes, and 
long enough over all to allow for the necessary 
extending big toe (and the other toes too) in 
walking. 

HAMMER TOES 

Too-short shoes frequently cause a condition 
of the toes described as hammer toes. The 
name explains the character of the malforma¬ 
tion. The toes assume a position resembling 
somewhat the appearance of the common hand 


90 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


hammer; the last joint being turned down at 
right angles, the ends of the toes hitting the sole 
of the shoe. It is not an especially common de¬ 
fect, yet is met with frequently enough to re¬ 
quire definite knowledge as to cause, effect and 
correction. 

Hammer toe affects, not the big toe, but 
usually the next one or two and sometimes three 
toes. If persisted in through the wearing of too- 
short shoes, the joints become permanently bent. 
The muscles of the foot relating to the control of 
the toes are of course upset and disturbed in 
their proper work. People afflicted with ham¬ 
mer toe are much disposed to corns, callouses, 
and other difficulties. The sharp unnatural 
angles of the toes thus created, tend to allow 
dirt and perspiration to work under the nails, 
and in the closely drawn-together flesh-angles, 
inflammation and irritation are caused. A com¬ 
mon example of hammer toe is found in the toe 
next to the big toe. The big toe, being stronger 
and larger, compressed by a tight, pointed-toe 
shoe and stocking is apt to force downward the 
relatively weaker toe alongside, finally overlap¬ 
ping the down-pressed end and preventing 
natural extension. The only way that a second 
toe could resist this tendency to hammer shape 
would be by definite exercise when out of the 
shoe. But who takes the trouble to do that? 
Hammer toe is believed by some medical author¬ 
ities to be genuinely subject to heredity. 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 91 



AN EXTREME CASE OF HAMMER TOE 
DEFORMITY 



















FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 93 

In connection with this discussion there are 
shown actual photographs of an extreme case of 
hammer toe. This case resulted from the early 
use of too-short, narrow-toed shoes. This man 
has suffered greatly, physically and mentally. 
There is no relief for this deformity except to 
have the affected toes removed from the foot. 
This is a terrible price to pay for incorrect-fitting 
shoes. 

RELIEF AND CURE 

Where the hammer toe difficulty is “caught 
early/’ relief, correction and cure may be ex¬ 
pected by fitting the sufferer with shoes that 
allow the toes to resume their normal position, 
gradually but steadily, with possible assistance 
by means of some soft substance or appliance 
being placed at the angles underneath, to en¬ 
courage the straightening process. The inner- 
sole of the shoe may be sunk by the use of a 
special instrument made for this purpose. Most 
shoe stores are supplied with such an instru¬ 
ment. This sinking of the sole will help relieve 
callouses at the point where relief is most 
urgently needed. But as in all foot defects, time 
must be allowed, for it must be remembered 
that time was given plenty of opportunity to 
produce the trouble in the first place. 

Whenever a case of hammer toe presents itself 
for treatment, if the bones of the toes are per¬ 
manently fixed in this position, no cure is pos- 


94 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

sible. The age of the customer is to be taken into 
account in deciding whether there may be a 
chance for cure. All that can be done is to fit 
properly, allowing as much comfort to be had as 
is possible under the circumstances. Of course 
hammer toe requires plenty of room in the up- 
and-down measurements of the toe-space. 

CRUMPLED, CROWDED, OVERLAPPED TOES 

Crumpled toes, crowded and overlapping toes 
all arise from the same cause — shoes fitted in¬ 
correctly; usually too narrow, often too short. 
Generally the signs of these troubles are flabby, 
tender, sensitive skin between the toes, corns at 
bottom, top or side, cracked skin, unduly 
folded sole skin; occasionally eczema will de¬ 
velop. 

Poor circulation is found to be one of the 
results. Remember that free flow of blood is 
required to carry off impurities and to provide 
nourishment to the muscles, bones, etc. These 
conditions of crowded toes tend more and more 
to the non-use of toes in walking — a condition 
opposed to the requirements of nature. 

There should be enough room in the shoe-cap, 
over the toes. A small, narrow, soft pad of felt 
or absorbent cotton may for a time be safely 
inserted between the big toe and its neighbor 
as a part of the effort at improvement, always 
provided that the corrective shoe has been put 
on. 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 95 



VIEWS OF HAMMER TOE DEFORMATION 
SHOWING SOLE AND UPPER PORTION 
OF THE FOOT 







FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 97 
INHERITED 

Exception must always be noted of cases that 
are inherited. The toe troubles are rarely in¬ 
herited, however. Flatfoot is the more usual 
inheritable foot weakness. The writer knows, 
however, of a peculiarly interesting case of an 
abnormal toe formation that has been inherited. 
The unusual element in this instance consists in 
the occurrence of six toes (and six fingers too, 
either or both) in successive generations. This 
would tend to the belief that certain peculiar¬ 
ities of toe structure may be passed on to suc¬ 
ceeding generations, and undoubtedly this is 
occasionally true. The person whose terrific 
hammer toe malformation is illustrated in this 
chapter has children whose toes are entirely 
normal. 

FOOT-SKIN TROUBLES 

Foot trouble having to do with the skin are 
exceedingly common. These may or may not 
occur with bone trouble. But it may be put 
down that bone-difficulty often carries with it 
some form or forms of skin troubles. It is per¬ 
tinent to note that, except in rare instances, foot- 
trouble comes in bunches. Nearly every person 
who suffers from one form of foot trouble has 
accompanying ills of greater or less magnitude. 
Army records at every post and camp in the 
country prove this to be so. 


98 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


We have discussed bunions and enlarged joints 
in the preceding chapter under bone-trouble, 
and properly so. However, it is true that these 
ills also have disagreeable effects on the skin 
surface. 

CORNS 

Corns seem to be an ill to which flesh is all 
too generally heir. Of course they result from 
pressure. Needless to say they are painful and 
reduce not only the efficiency of the foot itself 
but of the whole body and the mind. A blister 
or breaking of the skin is the usual beginning of 
a corn. Nature tries to repair the injury by 
coating the skin at the hurt point with an extra 
thickness. Persistence of the pressure quickens 
the process. 

Corns are usually classified as soft and hard. 
They appear in parts of the forward portion of 
the foot — top, bottom and sides of toes, bottom 
of sole and sides of the first of the toe-metatarsal 
joints. The pain comes mainly from pressure 
on the nerves of the part affected. Soft corns 
are generally not so painful as hard corns, but 
may be so. They are usually developed between 
the toes. 

When undue pressure is exerted on some part 
of the forward portion of the foot, nature steps 
in to defend the part attacked by thickening 
the skin. The unyielding shoe prevents up¬ 
building of the skin, so pressure is extended in- 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 99 

wards, towards or upon the muscles and nerves. 
The irritation at first felt, is not removed by 
the formation of the hardened new skin; rather 
it increases it. And so the process goes on; 
nature vainly trying to overcome the danger by 
repair in this way. By and by a genuine corn re¬ 
sults, with a hard center. This becomes very sen¬ 
sitive and painful and often extends quite deep 
into the tissue. 

RELIEF AND CURE 

Paring of hard corns does help temporarily, 
but unless the pressure that causes the trouble 
is removed, nature proceeds to rebuild, and the 
old condition is soon at the front. The only 
remedy is removal of the offending cause and 
permitting nature to work as it wants to. Time 
will do the business if nature is given a fair 
chance. Corns may have developed in the past 
and the customer already may be wearing prop¬ 
erly shaped shoes. If the cause still exists, 
correct shoes must be at once supplied. It is 
safe to recommend soaking the corns in warm 
soapy water, with gradual paring down as im¬ 
provement allows. In this recommendation as 
a means of preventing infection be sure to cau¬ 
tion against “cutting to the quick,” that is, draw¬ 
ing blood. If the customer should be so 
careless as to draw blood in this way, caution 
him or her to apply a disinfectant at once. 

A physician will advise medicine to soften 


100 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


the corn tissue, allowing removal painlessly in 
time, assuming that correct shoes have removed 
the primary cause. 

The army authorities, after considerable ex¬ 
periment, have evolved a “corn collodion” for 
the removal of corns, as follows: 


Salicylic Acid. n parts 

Extract of Cannabis Indica 2 parts 

Alcohol. 10 parts 

Flexible Collodion, enough 

to make total of. 100 parts 


If necessary, the cannabis indica may be left 
out. This solution is inflammable and evapo¬ 
rates quickly. The army also uses the following 
corn medicine as a salve: 


Salicylic Acid. 40 parts 

Vaseline . 30 parts 

Lanolin. 30 parts 


Both of these are applied to hard and soft 
corns and their near skin surfaces. Very serious 
old corns should be referred to the surgeon for 
treatment. 

Soft corns may be treated by paring, and do 
not as a rule develop further. However, they 
too will pass away if the pressure is removed. 

There is some doubt as to the value of en¬ 
circling a corn with a pad or plaster, for the 
reason that this substitutes a circular pressure 








FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION ioi 

around the base of the corn to replace the direct 
pressure of the shoe. The plaster may afford 
temporary relief from sharp pain, but the 
trouble should be attacked at its source and 
shoes and stockings should be provided that will 
allow nature to clean up the bad situation. 
Support in some cases is helpful, and even 
necessary for a time, until improvement has 
begun. 

It is worth while to know the procedure 
adopted in the army to remove corns. It is the 
following: 

1. (a) Wash the feet thoroughly at bed 
time; then soak for at least ten minutes in hot 
soap suds. The corn then becomes soft to the 
touch and whitish in appearance. 

( b ) Wipe the corn and foot dry. 

( c ) Paint the entire corn, and for at 
least an eighth of an inch around it, with 
several coats of the corn collodion already men¬ 
tioned, and let it dry. 

Or apply the corn salve, covering the corn 
and salve with zinc oxide plaster, 

2. Repeat the procedure given in (a), ( b ), 
and (c) on the following night; previously re¬ 
moving any plaster from the foot. 

3. Repeat the procedure given in (0), (6), 
and (c) again the following night. 

4. On the fourth night the corn should pre¬ 
sent a dead, whitish appearance after washing 
the foot. 


102 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


“Now take the back of the point of a knife 
and slide it under the loosened dead skin around 
the margin of the corn. Work around the corn, 
prying it loose from the foot but taking great 
care not to cut its attachments and prolongations 
into the flesh. In this way, a corn may be lifted 
entire out of its position and a cure at once fol¬ 
low; but if the attachments of the corn are cut 
through and not pulled out, return of the corn 
is almost certain to occur. The object is to pull 
away in one piece all the thickened tissue down 
to the “quick” but without causing bleeding. If 
cut away piecemeal, the corn will probably 
return. 

“In very large corns with much hard tissue, 
it may be necessary to continue the treatment 
given in (a), ( b ) and (c) for more than three 
nights. Occasionally five or six nights are 
necessary. 

“Sometimes it is well to pare away a very 
thick corn or callous, so that the medicine 
can strike more effectively into the roots. 
No effort should be made to take out the corn 
until it appears dead and peels off from the foot 
with little difficulty. 

“If it appears that the corn has not been com¬ 
pletely removed, treatment should be renewed 
in a few days. To do it immediately may make 
the foot sore. Sometimes several treatments 
are necessary to get rid of a corn. 

“This treatment is not of itself painful, but it 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 103 

hardens the corn and thus makes it more uncom¬ 
fortable until removed. On pulling the corn 
away, it leaves a bared area which is somewhat 
sensitive for about a day. For these reasons, the 
removal of corns should be accomplished prior 
to, rather than during, a time when any consider¬ 
able amount of walking is to be done. 

“Callouses, wherever located, are treated like 
corns. Very large ones, which usually occur 
under the ball of the foot, are sometimes best 
removed by the surgeon’s knife.” 

CALLOUSES 

Callouses are thickened skin, over more or 
less area, usually of the sole, and without the so- 
called center core or corn. Usually callouses 
are not painful but they may be and often they 
produce corns. A burning or smarting sensa¬ 
tion is experienced in walking, or on removal of 
the shoe. Certainly they do not help the feet 
and often really hinder foot action. For the 
removal of callouses the remedy recommended 
is the same as is that suggested for the removal 
of corns. Here too, artificial assistance may, 
with intelligence, be applied until the condition 
is sufficiently relieved to “stand on its own feet,” 
so to speak. Callouses and corns tend to pro¬ 
duce cold feet. The hardened skin surfaces 
impede the necessary blood circulation. 

It is understood, of course, that cramping or 
twisting the bones of the toes and the metatar- 


104 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


sals, so throw out of alignment the bones in¬ 
volved as to force parts of the flesh against the 
leather of the shoe in such a way as to cause 
callouses and corns. The source of the trouble 
is, obviously, wrongly-fitted shoes. 

People afflicted with these ills are apt to be 
nervous and irritable, and to have a sense of pain 
in other parts of the body — the heel and leg 
for instance. 

BLISTERS 

Blisters are caused by irritating pressure or 
friction at a given point, sharp enough to raise 
the outer skin, thus producing this familiar and 
more or less painful result. 

They usually form quickly, most often from 
the effects of new shoes. A blister cannot get 
well unless its cause is removed. It is a sign 
that the shoe did not fit at that particular point. 
Advise the customer to wear an old pair until the 
blister has healed. Meanwhile stretch the shoe 
at this point if possible; if not, the shoe should 
not be worn. Blisters may lead to much worse 
ills. Infection may result. Blisters should be 
opened at the first opportunity. Insert a clean 
needle, press out the liquid that has gathered, 
cover with zinc oxide plaster applied warm. If 
infection occurs the physician should be con¬ 
sulted at once. 

A mildly antiseptic foot powder recommended 
in the army consists of three parts of salicylic 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 105 

acid, ten parts of powdered starch and eighty- 
seven parts of powdered talcum. 

INGROWING NAILS 

No one who has suffered from an ingrowing 
nail cares to repeat the experience. This thing 
never happens naturally. It is the result of 
brute force — a driving of the nail into the flesh 
of the toe, usually the big toe. 

Toe-nails grow out of the skin. They have 
their visible edges. Pressure of the shoe-toe 
against the big toe may come so powerfully and 
insistently against the side of the nail as to force 
it into the skin proper and finally, in a curved 
position, into the flesh. Irritation always thus 
results, and often abscesses. It is an un¬ 
natural situation. Nature does not like it and 
will always rebel. 

Once a nail is imbedded in the flesh of the toe, 
it can be removed only by force, either of pulling 
or by the knife. In neither case should the sales¬ 
man have anything to do with it, except to 
advise the customer to have a physician perform 
the slight operation. Beware of infection. 
Take no chances. 

Occasionally ingrowing nails will be found on 
the smaller toes. Removal of the cause, pres¬ 
sure, is the first step to improvement. Shoes 
that fit never cause ingrowing nails. Here cer¬ 
tainly shoes with natural inside sole lines and 
broad toes are in order. 


106 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

ABRASIONS 

Abrasions are blisters from which the outer 
skin has been removed, thus exposing the tender 
inner skin. We all know that they are painful 
when exposed to the air and friction from any 
substance that can touch them. Zinc oxide 
plaster should be applied. In the absence of 
such plaster, dress with some mild greasy sub¬ 
stance, such as vaseline, and bandage lightly. 
Do not put additional cloth or cotton over the 
wound itself. A five per cent solution of picric 
acid will help when the abrasion is new. If 
abscesses form, see the doctor. These are apt 
to be found in shoes fitted too long or too wide, 
allowing the foot to slip around in the shoe. 
Stockings fitted too large are also a contributing 
cause. 

FISSURES 

Fissures, or cracks in the skin are sometimes 
caused by compression of tight shoes. They do 
not permit the feet to perform their proper work. 
They always present the opportunity for in¬ 
fection from various sources. They may become 
quite painful. They tend to bleed. If due to 
the shoe, the remedy is plain — fit the foot as 
it ought to be fitted, first advising the customer 
to wear white stockings until the condition is 
corrected, and to secure lotions or helpful dress¬ 
ings for the foot from his or her physician as 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 107 

would be done in the case of similar trouble on 
the hand or elsewhere. The cause may some¬ 
times be found in a general disease of the skin; 
in this event a skin specialist should be con¬ 
sulted. The same thing is true of tender soles 
and all other skin peculiarities that come be¬ 
fore the salesmen. 

PROFESSIONAL LIMITATIONS 

Here let it be said that a retail shoe salesman 
must scrupulously recognize the fact that he is 
not a specialist on the treatment of foot ills but 
rather that he is a “consulting expert” on foot¬ 
fitting. He must be extremely careful not to 
trespass, even slightly, into the field of the phy¬ 
sician and the surgeon. When in doubt, do not 
“guess” — let the advice be: “Consult your 
physician. I shall be glad to do whatever he 
advises if within my power.” If a known-to-be 
chiropodist is available, consultation with him 
should sometimes be recommended. 

Sweaty feet, to which some people are ad¬ 
dicted, are, we may be sure, unpleasant to the 
foot-owner more than to anyone else. Foot¬ 
fitting very likely has nothing to do with the 
case. It is not within the province of a retail 
shoe salesman to go into the subject, unless 
the customer himself refers to it with the evi¬ 
dent desire for advice. If there exists a hidden 
medical reason for the existence of excessive 
perspiration and any resulting unpleasant odor, 


io8 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

that should be determined and prescribed for by 
the physician, not by the shoe fitter. Advise 
customers who mention the subject to that 
effect. If it seems wise, daily foot-baths in 
some form of alkaline solution can be recom¬ 
mended. The sole of the foot, like the palm of 
the hand, has no grease-making glands, but the 
perspiration glands in the sole are large in num¬ 
ber. If the glands act freely the effect is for 
the perspiration to cause decomposition, with 
the result of an unpleasant odor. 

It is well for the salesman to know how to 
handle such cases as are honestly entrusted to 
him, because the treatment is not difficult in 
ordinary cases. The simplest remedy, one 
found effective among soldiers, consists of a 
40 per cent solution of formaldehyde, 10 parts, 
and water 90 parts. The bathed and dried foot 
is painted over its affected part with this solu¬ 
tion, avoiding fissures and abrasions. This proc¬ 
ess of treatment hardens, and in a certain meas¬ 
ure, tans the outer skin, and as a result limits 
the flow of perspiration. This treatment should 
be applied every other day. Half a dozen appli¬ 
cations will generally do the business. The 
army also uses a potassium permanganate solu¬ 
tion, 1-1000 strength, in which the feet are daily 
soaked. Some go still further in the treatment 
by disinfecting the socks, and painting the in¬ 
side of the shoes with a 10 per cent solution of 
salicylic acid in alcohol. 


CHAPTER VI 


FOOT TROUBLES AND THEIR 
CORRECTION {Concluded) 

TROUBLES OF MUSCLES, LIGAMENTS, 
TENDONS, ETC. 

BROAD UNDERSTANDING 

It is impossible to have bone or skin trouble 
in the feet without having along with them cer¬ 
tain related troubles in muscles, ligaments, ten¬ 
dons, etc. The subjects therefore overlap. And 
there are of course troubles of these foot ele¬ 
ments belonging strictly to themselves. The 
retail shoe salesman will feel better fortified in 
the handling of these conditions when they are 
brought to his care if he has a good knowledge 
of the place that muscles, ligaments and tendons 
have in a foot and the things he should know 
in relation to shoe fitting. 

Ligaments bind together the foot bones; they 
tend to prevent flattening of the arches and 
spreading of the foot. 

THE MUSCLES 

Francis A. Guinivan says, “Since muscles, 
ligaments and tendons, acting upon the bones 
of the arches hold them in a normal position, 


no 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


any spreading of the foundation or falling of the 
arch must come from weakness of muscles and 
ligaments. Muscles and ligaments lose their 
strength very rapidly when freedom of action 
is denied, and after the feet, especially the toes, 
are crowded into short-fitted or improper shape 
shoes, the muscles and ligaments grow weak and 
lose their control, or contract and finally assume 
a set, firm condition. Continued abuse of this 
nature in time deforms not only the arches but 
the bones themselves. 

“This weakness may be the result of physical 
conditions that make the blood less wholesome 
or retard circulation, such as extreme nervous 
disorders, rheumatism, diseased tonsils, blind ab¬ 
scesses or any such complications that act upon 
the blood in such a manner that the muscles and 
ligaments do not receive the proper nourishment. 
This causes them to grow weak and relax. The 
reason that many of these complications localize 
themselves in the feet, or the muscles that con¬ 
trol the feet, is that they have already 
been affected through ill-fitting, improperly 
shaped shoes, that make the muscle and bone 
formations of the feet the least able of any of 
the body to resist the unfavorable influences to 
which they are subjected.” 

The stretching of muscles and ligaments be¬ 
yond their normal stretching point works great 
harm to the foot arches, in fact to any of the 
foot bones involved. If the muscles are strong 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION m 


and the tendons not subjected to pressure by 
abnormal shoes, little fear need be felt of break¬ 
ing down of the feet. 

TROUBLE FELT ELSEWHERE 

Occasionally trouble in the foot is not felt in 
the foot at all. It must be remembered that 
the really important power in locomotion is pro¬ 
vided by the strong, big muscles of the leg — the 
power is transmitted to the foot by the tendons 
and ligaments, of which there are so many in the 
foot. The sketch given on page 112 shows some 
of the leg and foot muscles of the right foot. 
The view is that of the top or upper side of the 
foot. It will be noticed that certain of the leg 
muscles extend and are inserted into the ends of 
the toes. Foot trouble therefore sometimes 
shows itself in the leg first of all; in any part of 
the leg in fact, including the thigh. Spine trouble 
has more than once been traced to the feet. 

One of the peculiar things in connection with 
the importance of correct foot-fitting is the fact 
that abuses of the foot may, as just mentioned, 
find their penalties in some other part of the 
body. This is most significant and places upon 
everyone the great need to exercise unusual care 
in order that they may prevent such things by 
being fitted correctly with shoes. Upon the retail 
shoe salesman there rests the great responsi¬ 
bility of making up for excusable ignorance of 
the public in this respect. 


112 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


Trouble in leg, thigh, spine or elsewhere, 
due to foot abuses, may sometimes not be defi¬ 



nitely stated by physicians as being caused by 
incorrectly fitted shoes. Doctors may know 
such things, although they may not place the 












FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 113 

responsibility in so many words. It seems fair, 
however, not to charge them with blame if in 
certain cases they do not locate the cause of the 
trouble in the work of somebody else — the 
shoe fitter. 

The first effect of weakened foot muscles, 
noticeable in the foot itself, is found in fallen 
arches and a letting-up of the close knit forma¬ 
tion that naturally belongs to the foot. The 
foundation of the arches spread. The foot 
lengthens or widens. Pain results. 

OUTSIDE CAUSES 

Muscular let-up may be due to illness, injury, 
confinement. The salesman should seek to as¬ 
certain if such conditions prevail, whenever a 
foot comes before him giving indications of 
breaking down even though the shoes worn seem 
to be all right. If trouble originates this way, no 
amount of correct fitting of shoes will right mat¬ 
ters. The difficulty must be attacked at its 
source which, in such cases, is entirely apart 
from the foot and the footwear. It goes with¬ 
out saying, however, that foot weakness arising 
in such conditions requires perfect-fitting shoes 
if ever feet so require. It is pertinent in such 
situations to advise against overloading or over¬ 
taxing the feet. 

Pains in the arches of the feet may arise, and 
often do, exclusively in the muscles. The arches 
are, of course, supported by muscles attached at 


11 4 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

the bearing points in order, so to speak, to “prop 
them up” from below. This point is well 
brought out in the illustration below which shows 
the network of muscles and tendons and their 
formation at the arch of the foot. 

Muscular force must be equal to or greater 
than the weight carried. The ligaments, too, 



must be equal to the strain demands. The only- 
way that muscles and tendons are maintained 
and strengthened is through adequate nourish¬ 
ment by means of perfect blood circulation and 
by a proper amount of exercise. Shoes must be 
fitted so as to permit both. If necessary, the 
customer should definitely carry out a program 
of foot exercising. Elsewhere, in this volume, 
some simple exercises of this character are sug¬ 
gested. 









FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION n$ 

It can be stated with truth that weak mus¬ 
cular foot-action is in ninety-eight cases out of 
a hundred due to improperly fitted shoes. The 
problem of correction is therefore mainly the 
foot-fitter’s. Civilization exacts heavy penalty 
in this thing. There is, in addition to the evil 
of “fashion,” too little walking — we use the 
street cars and automobiles when it would be 
much to our advantage to walk. Nature bal¬ 
ances disuse with a tendency to cause the unused 
part of the body to become weak or even to 
stop its growth and wither. 

CHANGING CONDITIONS 

When a change from ill-fitting shoes to correct 
shape is made the muscles may exhibit for a 
short time a painful sensation, due to the 
changed position. This is, however, only tem¬ 
porary and is soon adjusted for the better. In 
some cases it is well to work the change gradu¬ 
ally by successive use of corrective shoes. In 
other words, work up step by step from the 
badly-fitting kind that caused the trouble origi¬ 
nally toward the final pair that is entirely cor¬ 
rect. As the weakened condition gradually im¬ 
proves, in fallen arch cases especially, the foot 
will shorten and become a bit narrower. The 
opposite is true in cases where the trouble has 
been in the nature of contracted arches. Both 
cases require watching and shoes fitted that will 
meet the changes of length and width. This 


ii6 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

is expert service. Every retail shoe salesman 
should aspire to it. 

TENDONS AND LIGAMENTS 

The foot is required to exercise powerful 
strength in carrying the weight of the body for¬ 
ward and back, up and down, with frequent 
added weight carried by the body. Ordinarily 



we expect to find a large, heavy part of the body 
where extra power and strength is required. 
However, the foot represents an exception. In 
it we find the combination of smallness and 
power made possible through the wide and 
varied use of tendons and ligaments, attached 
to the bones on one end and the strong leg 
muscles on the other, as shown in this illustra¬ 
tion of the outer side of the foot. Too much 
weight or too long strain tells most often on 














FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 117 

tendons and ligaments which stretch too far, 
lose their springiness and thus permit flatfoot 
and other foot ills. Too tight shoes restrict their 
proper use and exercise and will eventually cause 
a breakdown. The tendons and ligaments are 
subject to inflammation, pain and weakening. 
It all hinges on proper-fitting shoes, the tem¬ 
perate use of the foot in walking, standing and 
burden-bearing. 

CARE OF THE TENDONS AND LIGAMENTS 

The tendons most likely to sustain injury are 
those that lie at the top of the foot, at the in¬ 
step. A sharp blow or pressure from the shoe 
will injure them; causing tenosynovitis, which 
is inflammation of the tendons. The tendons 
at the top of the foot, unlike those on the sole, 
have little protection, as we all know. Pain is 
most usually felt in the great tendon having con¬ 
trol of the big toe. Pain here must not be con¬ 
fused with arch trouble. It is a different thing. 
There is no falling of the arch. Tenderness 
along this tendon is an undoubted evidence. 
Rest and freedom from overburdening are re¬ 
quired for correction — as well as shoes that 
assure no pressure on this tendon. 

Shoes that fit may sometimes be laced too 
tightly across the instep, or a crumpled-up 
tongue, or a knot in the lace, or a wrinkled 
stocking may cause inflammation of the tendons. 
Look for any of these causes before advising the 


n8 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

course to pursue to insure relief and cure. Avoid 
going to the other extreme once the cause is 



determined. Too loose lacing and too small 
stockings carry their own special evil results 
equal to the first trouble. Tendons and liga¬ 
ments must preserve their tensity, uninterfered 









FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 119 

with. They will respond to the good effects of 
reasonable exercise the same as will muscles. 
Special exercises may be required in restoring 
weakened tendons. If the muscles are exercised 
rightly and regularly the tendons will have their 
share of this exercising. 

The system of tendons and ligaments in the 
foot is the strongest in the whole body. In turn, 
the strongest of these are the ones that operate 
lengthwise in the foot. There are few ligaments 
in the upper foot — many in the sole formation, 
as shown in the illustration opposite. This view 
represents the first layer of foot muscles as seen 
in the upturned sole. This arrangement allows 
flexing or bending downwards, while at the same 
time it places certain obstacles against yielding 
too far. Altogether, the system is profoundly 
wonderful. It is almost criminal to abuse it 
with foot-covering that restricts its operation 
according to the wise plan of nature. 

CIRCULATION AND NERVES 

Nature protects its circulation and nervous 
system by protecting the muscles and tendons 
with fatty tissue wherever possible. The arter¬ 
ies and veins in the foot are no exception. They 
are pretty well covered over. It takes quite a lot 
of pressure to prevent flow of blood to and from 
the feet. Any restriction that positively stopped 
circulation in the foot or any part of it would 
soon and strikingly be punished. For we all 


120 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


know that tissue cannot live and move without 
circulation. That is not a trouble with which 
we are principally concerned. 

POOR CIRCULATION 

The great evil is in what we call “poor circu¬ 
lation.” This refers to cases where the pressure 
of the shoe partially restricts the normal flow 
of blood through the arteries and veins that 
serve the foot. Too great pressure of the toes 
against each other, the too-great pressure of the 
shoe leather against any part of the foot, all 
impede, hinder, slow-up and disturb the circu¬ 
lation system. 

The blood carries food to the tissues, bones, 
muscles, ligaments, skin and tendons, and car¬ 
ries off the waste matter. Hinder that work 
and you cause the parts affected to suffer. 
Weakness, flabbiness and inertness result. This 
evil is especially noticeable in the case of veins, 
which lie nearer the surface and consequently 
are more subject to pressure. Shoes too tight 
about the ankle offend very seriously in this 
respect. 

It should be considered in this connection that 
the general blood condition is a factor. If a per¬ 
son’s blood is poor, of course the defect will be 
noticeable in the feet, irrespective of the use of 
proper shoes. A wise salesman will make an 
effort tactfully to find out if such a condition 
exists. If it does, neither his services, nor foot- 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 121 


wear as such, are called into responsibility. 
Advice to consult a physician is certainly the 
proper course in such cases. Weakened blood 
power, if long continued, is certain to produce 
weakened feet, with accompanying evils. The 
ill is the result of inadequate blood-service to the 
feet. 

MISCELLANEOUS FOOT TROUBLES 

While not specifically classified in the various 
foot ailments commonly recognized, described 
above in this chapter, there is a train of minor 
ills that are directly or indirectly related to ills 
of the feet. These need to be known and rec¬ 
ognized by the earnest fitter of shoes to human 
feet. Some of these will be touched upon 
briefly. However, it is for the conscientious 
student to fully recognize his responsibility in 
these matters and to take his stand accordingly. 

MENTAL DISTRESS 

Not the least of these ills is mental distress. 
No person is ever afflicted with any amount of 
foot trouble without experiencing a more or less 
bad effect upon his state of mind, depending 
upon the temperament. This means interfer¬ 
ence with every-day effort, lessening of enjoy¬ 
ment of life itself, reduction of ability and effi¬ 
ciency, a waste of human power in every 
direction. The sum total of such waste, con¬ 
sidered as an economic loss, measured by the 


122 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


total number of cases of foot-ills, would be in¬ 
deed staggering if the amount could be de¬ 
termined. 

Irritability or fretfulness is common in such 
cases. The next step is worry over small things. 
Then on to discouragement and possible giving 
up entirely of ambition and real energy. A per¬ 
son becomes thus unwelcome as a companion or 
business associate and seriously injures his 
chances for advancement and success. 

We all recognize that personality is a con¬ 
siderable, often a decisive element in progress. 
Sore and lame feet concentrate a person’s mind 
on his walking; good feet never remind their 
owner of their presence. It is hard for a person 
to be an optimist if he has sick feet. 

FATIGUE 

Tiredness, achiness, weariness, lassitude, all 
attach themselves to the train of trouble headed 
by foot-ills. Because the whole burden of body- 
weight and extras falls on the feet, one cannot 
get away from the continual reminder of illness 
in the lower extremities. It simply cannot be 
dodged, avoided or put aside. The tendency in 
any abnormal condition of the body is for nature 
to shift the burden if possible. So, the whole 
body tries to help out the poor abused feet. The 
result is fatigue. This is a further proof of loss 
of both efficiency and the full enjoyment of life. 
It is a great economic waste. 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 123 


LOSS OF GRACE OF CARRIAGE 

Divine Power surely intended the walk or gait 
of mankind to be full of grace, ease, flexibility 
and comfort. Grace of carriage ought to accom¬ 
pany the regular use of one of the two most 
beautiful examples of human anatomy. (The 
hand is the other.) How rarely is this the case! 
Stand at your store door and inspect the gait 
of the passers-by for a few minutes. What per¬ 
centage really walk with what you can say is a 
natural carriage, that is, with beauty of motion, 
freedom of action and unconscious rhythm? 

The very first evidence of improper fit in shoes 
is in the gait. Everybody seeks to correct mis- 
adjustment of any physical function by some 
change in bodily position to overcome the out- 
of-natural position. The man with a sore toe 
limps along so as to keep the weight of the body 
off the “sick” toe, the man with a sore on his 
neck leans forward to relieve the pressure — 
and so forth. Recently, an expert shoe fitter 
said to a customer with foot-trouble: “Change 
your gait.” This was only another way of say¬ 
ing, “Wear shoes that fit.” 

It has long been the mistaken belief of the 
great majority of people that toeing out is “good 
form,” that toeing in is plebeian or common. 
Nothing could be more untrue. Nothing that 
places in the background the laws of nature 
ought ever to be considered “good form.” Like- 


124 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


wise, nothing that conforms to nature’s laws can 
justly be termed “plebeian.” 

A natural gait is one in which the feet, on their 
marginal lines, fall on nearly a straight line in 
the act of walking. It is true, however, that 
successive generations of the “toeing-out” proc¬ 
ess tend to produce by heredity the outward 
pointing of the toes, which then becomes the 
somewhat natural method for these individuals. 
Semi-civilized and savage tribes, apart from 
accidents, have perfectly moulded feet and walk 
with the feet straight ahead. Their feet have 
never been mistreated by modern footwear. 

CHILD-BEARING AND HIGH HEELS 

Medical authorities are everywhere agreed 
that incorrect footwear, particularly high-heel 
shoes, have a harmful effect upon the most 
sacred of all gifts — motherhood. It is utterly 
impossible to exaggerate the tremendous impor¬ 
tance of this feature of foot-fitting. What a 
great responsibility rests upon the salesman! 

The human body is very delicately balanced 
so that the upright position may be maintained 
without strain upon any one part of the body. 
This balance point is known as the “center of 
gravity.” An old person is required to use a 
cane because his body is unbalanced. He has 
changed his center of gravity by bending for¬ 
ward and consequently is required to rely on 
the cane for support. 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 125 

High-heel shoes also change the center of 
gravity of the body. Nobody doubts that. 
Charlotte C. West, M.D., an eminent female 
physician, writing in the Ladies Home Journal, 
says on this point, “Unless the hip joints are 
truly placed in the sockets of the pelvic bones 
and the spinal column flexibly held, the entire 
body is thrown out of plumb. In growing girls 
especially, but in all younger women, the lower 
spine, on being carried forward, throws the in¬ 
ternal organs out of position; even a slight dis¬ 
placement causes a train of distressing symp¬ 
toms only too familiar; weak back, sometimes 
unendurable pain and incapacitation during the 
entire period. In married life the result is apt 
to be sterility or inability to bear children. 

“Nor will medical treatment remove the cause 
when this is due to high heels, as it unquestion¬ 
ably is in nine cases out of ten. 

“Naturally the question arises: Can such far- 
reaching consequences really ensue from the 
wearing of high heels? And the answer is: 
‘Yes!’ Because although man is biped, the ball 
and heel of each human foot act as two feet. 
Unless this were so we would possess no center 
of gravity and would fall forward and find it 
necessary to travel on all fours. 

“It should cost us no more muscular effort to 
maintain a beautifully poised body than it costs 
a fish to rest motionless in the water or to dart 
out of sight upon a moment’s warning, nor than 


126 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


a horse which, when standing, running or walk¬ 
ing, puts forth no muscular effort at all. Only 
when he drags a load does he pull. 

“In man the principal axis of the body is per¬ 
pendicular. If an imaginary line is drawn from 
the centre of the head down, it touches the floor 
between the balls of the feet. The imprint of 
a human foot is most peculiar. Only the heel, 
ball and outer border touch the earth, while the 
hollow of the foot, the part upon which the 
greater weight rests, does not touch the earth at 
all. Here lies the great elasticity of this wonder¬ 
ful mechanism. 

“Now in passing a line through the center of 
the heel it passes out through the great toe. 
This is called ‘Meyer’s Line,’ and on studying the 
footprints of an Arab, who has never worn shoes, 
and of a normal infant, we find the axis of the 
foot identical in both. The body rests, then, 
upon the ball and heel of each foot. 

“Our erect posture has broadened the hips. 
Especially is this the case in women, in whom the 
pelvis is much broader than in males, because 
of the higher office it performs. When standing, 
the legs are properly placed in their sockets at 
the hip joints, and the body rests correctly upon 
the balls and heels of the feet; its gravity, its 
equilibrium, its balance or poise is then perfect. 
In walking, the ball of the foot touches the 
earth first, the heel scarcely at all. As the body 
is raised, its entire weight falls and is sustained 
by the toes. 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 127 

“When, in addition to this, the heels are placed 
on slender stilts two or three inches high, the 
entire foot is furthermore pushed forward into 
the shoe; the center of gravity is entirely 
lost; the body is tilted forward at a 
false angle; the delicately poised pelvic organs, 
especially the uterus, are thrown forward; and 
anteflexion results. 

“In order that the body may maintain its 
equilibrium or balance, great muscular effort is 
now employed. The muscles of the calves are 
strained; the lower position of the spine is 
rigidly held forward; the whole pelvis is indeed 
shoved forward to get in the new false line which 
falls through the heels and not through the balls 
of the feet. An ugly hollow is thereby created 
in the spine, and when this goes on, as it does in 
some girls, the distressing spinal deformity 
known as lordosis is gradually developed. 
Other spinal deformities may ensue, but lordo¬ 
sis is most common” 

Many conscientious retail shoe men agree, 
and we accept their judgment, that high-heel 
and narrow-toe shoes may without incurring 
foot trouble be worn occasionally, as at evening 
social functions, by women who wear common 
sense shoes at their regular employment. It is 
recognized that this type of shoe is “the fash¬ 
ion.” It is also recognized that retail shoe 
salesmen have to serve their customers with this 
type of shoe. But it is, nevertheless, impossible 


128 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


to avoid the truth in the matter, and to take 
the position that only as occasional footwear can 
such shoes be worn without resulting injury. 
Every retail shoe salesman must know this and 
play his true part like a man. Some day the 
women of our country, and the men too, will 
refuse to wear as their daily footgear, any shoes 
excepting those that fit properly; though they 
may defer to social standards at evening or 
afternoon gatherings. Especially must it be 
borne in mind that only the normal, right- 
modeled, strong foot can, with no resulting ill, 
wear high heel shoes with narrow pointed toes, 
even in the leisure hours. 

STIFF JOINTS, GOUT AND CHILBLAINS 
Stiff feet, or stiff joints, belong to the physician 
for handling. It is unwise and practically im¬ 
possible to fit a ready-made shoe to such a foot. 
An ordinary shoe, even though built along cor¬ 
rect lines, can offer little chance of solving the 
problem. 

Gout is an “old-fashioned disease” that we 
associate with rich, inactive old people who do 
not exercise sufficiently, although it is by no 
means confined to this class of people. It is 
frequently found in the big toe joint for the 
reason that here is where the most irritation 
is usually found. It certainly is painful. The 
treatment of this ill is, however, a doctor’s job. 
The same is true of chilblains. The best course 


FOOT TROUBLES AND CORRECTION 129 

for a salesman to pursue is, in addition to rec¬ 
ommending the services of a physician, to ad¬ 
vise permanent use of shoes that fit as they 
should; and to be able to do the fitting. 

LOCATING FOOT TROUBLES 

Everett H. Dunbar, for forty years a retail 
shoe dealer in Lynn, and always an advocate of 
proper-fitting shoes has given some useful point¬ 
ers in locating foot trouble. He says: “Take 
the foot in the hand and go over its surface and 
see if all the bones are in proper position. Feel 
the foot from the os calcis, and over the cunei¬ 
form and metatarsal bones. Try the joints to 
see if they bend naturally and easily, and test 
the ligaments, to make sure that they are not 
stretched and pulled out of place. To make 
these tests of joints and ligaments, take the 
foot in one hand and bend it, meanwhile keeping 
the fingers of the other hand on the joints, or 
ligaments, to see if they work naturally. 

“The fingers may be trained to feel a defect 
in the joints or ligaments, or a displacement of 
the bones, just as a doctor’s fingers are trained 
to discover a dislocation, or a dentist is trained 
to discover a nerve in the tooth. 

“To make these tests, one must be familiar 
with the bones of the feet, also the ligaments, 
and even with the nerves. There are nerves in 
the feet, much as there are in other parts of the 
body, of course. But many persons numb their 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


130 

foot nerves by habitually wearing shoes that do 
not fit. When I go over such feet I often run 
my fingers on to a dislocated bone, or bent 
joint, and the nerve at that sore spot jumps like 
a nerve in a tooth when a dentist touches it.” 

Summed up: The greatest asset of a retail 
shoe salesman is the confidence of his cus¬ 
tomers. The confidence of a customer in a sales¬ 
man is, more than all else combined, founded in 
the salesman’s ability to fit shoes intelligently 
and correctly. 

A customer who has been saved from foot 
trouble by the ability of a shoe salesman in fit¬ 
ting him or her correctly, will always respect 
that salesman and return to him or her for con¬ 
tinued service. 

A customer troubled with foot-ills, finding 
relief and correction at the hands of an intel¬ 
ligent salesman who is a real foot-fitter, is for¬ 
ever the business friend of that salesman. 


CHAPTER VII 


FLEXIBLE SHANKS AND STIFF SHANKS 

DIFFERENCE OF OPINION 

Throughout the shoe trade there are differ¬ 
ences of opinion as to the practical value and 
usefulness of both the flexible shank and the stiff 
shank in shoe construction. Professional men 
and women and organizations interested in 
public and private health have in increasing 
numbers also taken up this discussion. It cer¬ 
tainly is one of the things a retail shoe salesman 
must know and understand. 

This question of shanks sometimes arises in 
the mind and experience of the retail salesman 
only in connection with foot troubles already 
incurred. As a matter of fact it belongs in the 
regular stock of the knowledge he should have 
and use as part of his daily work. The question 
of flexible or stiff shanks is entirely, or nearly 
so, apart from the other problems of shoe-shape, 
and relates to nearly every type of footwear 
produced. 

Shanks in shoes have to do, of course, with 
the longitudinal or lengthwise arch, which all are 
agreed is a most important element of the hu- 


132 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


man foot and has an important part in relation 
to foot health. Of real importance therefore is 
the matter of shank construction in footwear. 

There are those within and without the trade 
who very strongly favor flexible shoes and op¬ 
pose stiff shanks. Others hold to the direct 
opposite belief. “The truth is mighty and it 
shall prevail.” Where, in this thing, is the 
truth? Is it in the one or is it in the other point 
of view? Or is it perhaps, as is often the case, 
not exclusively or wholly in one or the other, 
but at some point between? Or, putting it 
another way, is there truth in both and some 
more truth outside or in between? These are 
the questions we are to consider. 

HEEL NECESSITATES SHANK 

Modern civilization, going in for clothes more 
extensively than ever, has demanded a heel on 
most of its footwear. It does not appear that 
nature originally intended that much of a heel 
should be employed as a feature of the foot 
covering. It is certain that the early forms of 
footwear used had no such elevating features. 
The Chinese, as we know, do not wear heels on 
their native shoes. And, of course, we ourselves 
have sandals, sneakers and the like, minus heels. 
But, generally speaking, heels are a component 
part of modern footwear. 

The fact that there is a heel of some sort on 
a shoe, and a forepart, requires some form of 


FLEXIBLE AND STIFF SHANKS 


133 


connecting medium. This is what is known as 
the shank. It may be either stiff or flexible. 
These terms must be understood as being more 
or less relative. Stiff shanks are not stiff in the 
sense of yielding no flexibility. Likewise, the 
so-called flexible shanks do not, of course, have 
complete flexibility. 

PRINCIPLES INVOLVED 

Stiff shanks are leading by a large majority 
in quantity, as shoes for mature people. The 
army shoes used by most of the soldiers in the 
world war were made with stiff shanks. 

The national board of the Y.W.C.A., which is 
conducting investigations on the evils of poor¬ 
fitting shoes and an earnest campaign for im¬ 
provement, takes this position on the shank 
question: 

“A shoe to be correct should preferably have 
a flexible shank because this allows the muscles 
of the arch to become stronger through use.” 

The differences of opinion on shanks center 
largely around the point of exercising the mus¬ 
cles of the arch of the foot. Bearing on this 
point, Munson, the army shoe expert and author, 
makes an interesting statement; “Action pro¬ 
motes growth and strength. Total inactivity 
leads to rapid wasting. When, however, muscles 
have been fully developed in youth, a very slight 
amount of exercise will suffice to keep them 
fairly strong.” 


134 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


The strongest muscles operating on the foot 
are not in the foot at all. They are in the leg 
chiefly and connect with the bones of the foot 
by tendons and ligaments which are inelastic 
— the muscles supply the elasticity. It is true 
that the muscular element of the foot-arch is 
not naturally the chief one of its functions, at 
least it is not so directly. 

Francis A. Guinivan says on this subject: 
“This is a question on which no two men, doctors 
or shoe men, would ever agree. The Y.W.C.A. 
is figuring on ideal conditions. The facts are, 
both types are correct if properly applied. It is 
misapplication of a type that causes so many 
people to state, T tried a pair, but no more/ 
“The construction of shoes designed to relieve 
or correct foot imperfections involves two prin¬ 
ciples — the flexible shank and the stiff shank 
types. Both are efficient if properly applied, 
and it is the application of these two principles 
that demand the most important consideration 
when fitting corrective shoes. 

“As all normal feet are flexible, an ideal shoe 
will allow this freedom of action to continue. 
Therefore all people with normal feet can 
wear flexible shank shoes, even if they are of a 
corrective nature. Any tendency toward weak¬ 
ness should be offset or overcome by exercising 
the muscles that control foot action. 

“Although flexible shank shoes are most de¬ 
sirable, stiff shank shoes are constructed as a 


FLEXIBLE AND STIFF SHANKS 135 

compromise. Modern ways of living, and the 
widely spread neglect of the feet cause many de¬ 
formed conditions and muscular weaknesses. 
Therefore, flexible shank shoes are not suitable 
for many customer’s requirements. Stiff shoes 
are used as an in-between step toward the flex¬ 
ible shank idea.” 

EXPERT OPINION 

The foot is not a solid inflexible human in¬ 
strument. It is not in the nature of a hard, 
rigid stilt upon which man moves about. It is 
a complicated mechanism and the bones, mus¬ 
cles, ligaments and everything involved must 
be allowed unrestricted movement — a flexible, 
graceful stride with strength. The muscles allow 
elasticity, the ligaments prevent too much 
stretching. 

Hollis B. Scates, Boston, thinks that both 
sides of the “argument” are partly right and 
partly wrong. He says: “No flexible shank shoe 
has ever been devised which is a 100 per cent 
shoe for all feet. I am equally sure that no 
stiff shank shoe is a 100 per cent shoe for all feet. 

“I have seen instances where people with bad 
feet have worn flexible shank shoes with relief, 
and have seen other people who have received 
no relief. This is equally true of stiff shank 
shoes.” 

C. K. Chisholm, Cleveland, Ohio, says: “The 
question of flexible or stiff shank is a hard one. 


136 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

There is room for plenty of discussion on the 
subject and I am sure a volume could be written 
on either. I feel that there is a place for both 
and that I can answer the question best by de¬ 
scribing how we use them. 

“The flexible shank we use on the young man 
or woman who is having the early stages of 
foot trouble and where there is still a chance for 
the foot to become normal through muscular 
development. The foot may be badly out of 
shape and nearly flat, but if the person is not too 
old and the foot is still flexible it is possible, with 
proper exercising and a flexible shank shoe, to 
bring about much improvement and in many 
cases to effect a permanent cure. 

“Undoubtedly this has proven true in the ex¬ 
perience of the Y.W.C.A. people and that in all 
probability accounts for their approval of the 
flexible shank shoe. 

CONSIDERING INDIVIDUAL CASE 

“As for the stiff shank shoe: Take for ex¬ 
ample, a woman of forty years or over whose 
foot shows the following condition; the os calcis 
or heel bone rotating in, the foot badly drawn 
out of shape, with the inner border near the 
ankle bulging in, possibly rigid and surely not 
very flexible. This is a condition that it is im¬ 
possible to cure for the reason that the muscles 
never will develop to support the arch again. 
In a case of this kind the only thing to do is to 


FLEXIBLE AND STIFF SHANKS 137 

put on a stiff shank having a straight inside line 
with an orthopedic heel and a long counter, to 
relieve the muscular strain, and when properly 
fitted the person with the stiff shank shoe is 
just as comfortable as the one with the flexible 
shank. 

“The older person, with the more severe 
case of foot trouble, is the one more likely to 
come to the shoe store looking for shoes that will 
be comfortable, and to this class of customer the 
shoe salesman will invariably sell more stiff 
shank shoes than those with flexible shanks. 

“When there is any question or doubt as to 
whether the flexible or stiff shank shoe should 
be applied, the stiff shank should always be the 
first choice because its use cannot be so easily 
misapplied. Even if it were not necessary to 
apply a foot correction, the use of a stiff shank 
would be so constructive that the qualities of a 
flexible shank shoe would be greatly enhanced 
if later it should be found advisable to use it. 

“Although the corrective shoe might be un¬ 
comfortable for the first few times it is worn, 
the condition is not severe enough to do any 
harm. The customer will become accustomed to 
it and in the end appreciate the beneficial results 
to be obtained.” 

PLACE FOR BOTH 

W. C. Goodwin, Fitchburg, Mass., says, on 
this question: “We believe here in our store 


138 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

that there is a place for flexible shank shoes and 
a great many people are benefited by them, but 
the same is true also of stiff shanks. I believe 
that there are a great many people who require 
some sort of support for the arch. As I under¬ 
stand it, flexible arches develop the muscles of 
the foot, but there are feet that are beyond that 
stage. There are people who are so inactive 
that they do not develop any muscles, let alone 
the muscles of the feet. We have customers 
who are loud in the praise of flexible shank shoes 
and advise everybody to wear them, and we have 
others who are frank in saying that they receive 
no benefit from them and cannot wear them. 
If you talk with a shoe man who praises flexible 
shanks, he cannot see anything else. While I 
admit they are good in some cases, I still be¬ 
lieve that we have got to sell mostly shoes that 
are stiff through the shank so as to give the 
necessary support.” 

George E. Peirce, Providence, R.I., has these 
views on the shank question: “We have found 
that when flexible shank shoes are new and 
everything is in exact position and shape it is a 
very comfortable and well-fitting shoe, but the 
heel at the point of the breast which supports 
the flexible shank must be kept perfectly even 
or else it will allow the shank to drop. 

“I am not an enthusiast for either the flexible 
shank or the stiff shank and when I say this I 
refer to the stiff shank as made in the arch- 


FLEXIBLE AND STIFF SHANKS 


139 


supporting shoes with the “S” breasted heel and 
long counter. I have always considered this 
type of shoe as acting the same on the foot as 
a splint does on the arm. For that reason per¬ 
haps we have never sold as many of this type of 
shoe as we would have provided we had more 
confidence in its ability to do the work for which 
it was intended. 

“What types of shoes do I believe in, that is, 
what construction for people who desire to have 
their shoes well fitted and have the necessary 
support for the foot? I have always been a 
great believer in wide-shank shoes, that is, the 
shoe in which the wood of the last is broad 
enough and shapely enough so as to support the 
hollow of the foot and give the bone on the out¬ 
side enough room to spread and carry the weight 
of the body. I think that if we had statistics to 
show it would be found that the great majority 
of foot trouble had been caused long before 
the present styles or models of lasts were 
adopted. 

“The narrow shank shoes for both men and 
women that were in vogue sometime ago had the 
effect of crowding the feet. It then became 
necessary to lace or button them so as to try 
to provide a fit. The error, of course, was that 
the fit should have been put into the last in the 
first place. I believe that shoes of the type with 
a broad tread and a good serviceable steel shank 
are the best kind of shoes for the feet.” 


140 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


AN EXPERIENCE CASE 

J. M. Watson, San Antonio, Texas, is a vigor¬ 
ous believer in stiff shank shoes. He says: 

“In my opinion there is no chance for argu¬ 
ment among those who have given the soft and 
stiff shank ideas real thought. There is but one 
correct shoe and it is the stiff shank shoe. 

“A few years ago I was having a little arch 
trouble, that is, I would occasionally have pains 
in the instep. I began to wear the soft shank 
shoe and to take the foot exercise according to 
instructions, and my instep trouble was relieved, 
but I developed a most serious case of metatar¬ 
sals. This I blame entirely to the wearing of 
soft shank shoes. 

“My case of foot trouble became so serious 
that I could hardly sleep or work. Three years 
ago I began wearing a well known brand of 
stiff shoes with the built-in arch support. These 
I have worn every day since and expect to until 
my dying days. My feet are now as perfect as 
those of an infant; all foot troubles having dis¬ 
appeared.” 

BOTH SIDES 

As no man can be “all things to all men,” so 
also can no particular shoe or type of shoe per¬ 
form all the functions of well-fitting footwear for 
all classes and types of people. We must recog¬ 
nize this to be a fact and not cling doggedly to 


FLEXIBLE AND STIFF SHANKS 


141 

the one idea or the other, to the exclusion of the 
good results that a logically minded course 
will bring. Few will quarrel with the state¬ 
ment that flexible shank shoes are not perfectly 
flexible and that stiff shank shoes are not en¬ 
tirely rigid and unyielding. 

For instance, no impartial man or woman 
would or could expect the flexible shank type of 
shoe to be proper as an arch-rebuilder in cases 
where muscles are unduly weak and the arch 
is down so far that it cannot well go lower, or in 
cases of natural or acquired flatfoot. In some 
cases where flexible shank shoes have been 
wrongly fitted the result has been to give free¬ 
dom of movement to the forepart of the foot 
and a snug fit at the waist, heel and instep. 
Accordingly a great many of the smaller muscles 
of the foot have been exercised and thus stength- 
ened, with helpful results temporarily. How¬ 
ever, such a type of shoe does not and cannot re¬ 
build effectively the fallen arch. 

When a person cannot or will not exercise 
sufficiently to help the shoe or to help nature 
itself to right matters in the case of a fallen 
arch, the stiffer shank shoe should be worn until 
the foot is in condition so that the flexible shank 
type can be assumed. 

PHYSICAL CONDITION A CONSIDERATION 

When, in some cases, shoes of a corrective 
nature are recommended and the salesman is 


142 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


in doubt as to the muscular condition of the cus¬ 
tomer, or his willingness to assist the flexible 
shank shoes in their object, it is always safe, for 
the first pair of shoes at least, to recommend the 
stiff shank and long counter. The moment the 
foot shows signs of improvement, flexible shank 
shoes can, as a general rule, be safely brought 
into the case. When physical complications 
prevent any improvement of the muscles and 
ligaments that control the foot, the stiff shank 
shoes with long counters should be continued. 
There does not seem to be any real objection to 
this method; in fact any other course does not 
appear to be open. 

Most of the action of the foot rotates around 
the ankle joint, especially about the bone that is 
located between the ankle bone and the heel 
bone. It is at this point that the first sign of 
weakness is often detected. The heel, being so 
closely connected with this point of action, is 
one of the first bearing points to be affected. On 
account of the freedom of action where it joins 
the other bones, it is much more easily corrected 
than is the forepart of the foot. This is farther 
away from the weakened point and of a much 
more rigid formation. 

SUGGESTIONS 

While all shoes of a corrective nature will 
accomplish the desired results, if properly ap¬ 
plied, the shoe man should not be at all dis- 


FLEXIBLE AND STIFF SHANKS 


143 


couraged if he does not accomplish this result 
at the very first trial. There are many diseases 
of the bone and flesh that are not apparent from 
an external examination. This is especially true 
when the examination must be made while the 
stocking is on the foot, and this, of course, is the 
condition under which the average salesman 
must work. When the salesman finds that the 
first application of the shoes does not relieve, 
and he is unable to diagnose the case any 
further, he should refer the customer for further 
advice to a properly qualified physician. 

Where there is a serious or pronounced con¬ 
traction of the transverse arch, in attempting 
relief it is better to use stiff shank shoes, pref¬ 
erably with long counters. This is so because 
the longitudinal arch is subject to disturbance 
in some degree, and should be protected while 
the transverse arch trouble is being helped. In 
extreme and long-established cases of such con¬ 
traction when shoes do not or cannot themselves 
afford remedy, metatarsal arch supports may 
be fitted — always only in wide-toe, correctly 
shaped shoes, that give protection to the longi¬ 
tudinal arch at the same time. 

Much that has been written in this chapter on 
the stiff and flexible shank question belongs also 
to the chapter on corrective footwear. These 
chapters should therefore be read directly in 
connection with each other. Each dove-tails into 
the other and must be considered accordingly. 


144 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


In this chapter the whole story of stiff shanks 
and flexible shanks have been given. Opinions 
of competent merchants have been offered and 
they are opinions that, as you have noted, vary 
widely. This variance of judgment is the reason 
for discussing the subject at some length. The 
retail shoe salesman must realize from this the 
necessity of his own study and observation. 


CHAPTER VIII 


CORRECTIVE APPLIANCES 

A BROAD FIELD 

For generations people have sought relief of 
foot troubles by the introduction of some form 
of support in the shoe. This might have taken 
the form of a piece of cotton, or cloth, or leather, 
or any substance that would provide the sup¬ 
port needed or thought to be needed. 

For the past forty years appliances designed 
to do this thing have been made. Of late years 
much attention has been given by manufacturers 
of appliances to the development of this field. 
Today foot appliances are made and used in 
greater volume than ever and the demand is 
apparently increasing. 

Appliance manufacturers have studied the 
problem and developed a very wide range of 
articles of this nature covering about every ill 
to which the human foot is heir. This has be¬ 
come a part of the service of practically every 
shoe store in the land. For that reason, if for 
no other, a Course such at this must give atten¬ 
tion to the subject. As Abraham Lincoln said, 
“God must have loved the common people, he 

145 


146 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


made so many of them”; so since foot appliances 
are made in such wide variety and are so al¬ 
most universally carried in shoe stores, their sale 
becomes a part of the service the retail shoe 
salesman performs. 

THOROUGH KNOWLEDGE REQUISITE 

At the outset it is necessary that this very 
important point to be emphasized: That no retail 
shoe salesman should ever, under any circum¬ 
stances, fit or attempt to fit any form of foot 
appliance without a thorough knowledge of his 
business in this respect . 

The appliance manufacturers will themselves 
subscribe to this doctrine. 

While selling foot appliances is a part of the 
duty of practically every retail shoe salesman, 
this duty and responsibility cannot be dis¬ 
charged as is rightfully the case with laces, 
polishes, etc., on the basis of a usual or ordinary 
“accessory” or shoe finding. The grave element 
of foot-fitting, of adjustment of bones, muscles, 
ligaments, tendons, blood vessels and nerves, 
is directly involved. The salesman who 
attempts to fit appliances, as a matter of fact, 
must be a super-fitter. He should know all that 
a skilled shoe fitter ought to know about the 
foot and footwear, and in addition, all about 
the appliances he is fitting. 

A certain percentage of retail shoe people 
have strong convictions on foot appliances and 


CORRECTIVE APPLIANCES 


M 7 


oppose their use on the ground that they pre¬ 
vent the exercise of the muscles of the foot. 
Some orthopedic surgeons feel the same way 
about it. Others, both shoe men and orthopedic 
surgeons, are equally convinced of the helpful 
qualities of foot appliances. The truth, as in 
most problems, probably is at neither end — 
neither with those who believe these appliances 
are “cure-alls” or those who entertain opinions 
that they are positively harmful. 

Most retail shoe buyers and proprietors feel 
that these appliances, properly fitted and scien¬ 
tifically prescribed, have a fair place in the 
world. It is something like the battle between 
the advocates of stiff shank and of flexible shank 
footwear. 

One of the best known retail shoe men in the 
United States, especially noted for his devotion 
to correct fitting, says on this subject: “We will 
not attempt to criticise the usefulness of arch 
supports but feel that most shoe men selling 
them are inclined to consider profit in preference 
to actual service to the customer. Arch supports 
relieve painful defects and correct many de¬ 
formed conditions if properly applied, but they 
should never be sold unless used in a shoe that 
will enhance their value or relieve the actual 
cause of the foot trouble.” 

The manufacturers of foot appliances, recog¬ 
nizing that the true development of their busi¬ 
ness consists in educating the retail shoe sales- 


148 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

man in scientific fitting of their varied product, 
accompany their sales work by courses of in¬ 
struction in fitting these articles. These courses 
are well known to the trade and it is not, there¬ 
fore, the mission or intention of this volume to 
cover that portion of the field of foot appliances. 

It has been deemed but fair and right to afford 
the advocates of the use of foot appliances an 
opportunity to state their case. 

J. B. Reinhart, an officer of one of the con¬ 
cerns producing appliances for the feet makes 
the following statements. The questions and 
answers are given in full: 

Question — What forms of foot-ills can prop¬ 
erly be subjected to the corrective influence of 
foot appliances? 

Answer — All foot troubles due to distortion 
of the bony structure of the foot can be cor¬ 
rected by the use of foot appliances. Often the 
pains in the feet, limbs and even the back are 
due to a distortion of one or more bones of the 
foot. A man who knows the foot’s structure and 
conditions that are produced by distortion can 
very quickly trace the cause of these pains to the 
foot itself. 

Question — What forms of foot ills cannot 
be so treated? 

Answer — The only forms of foot ills that 
cannot be relieved by the use of foot appliances 
are those caused by ills of the system, and even 
in these conditions it is often possible to give 


CORRECTIVE APPLIANCES 149 

relief by the use of a foot appliance which may 
be used only to relieve the strain on the foot 
and thus prevent further strain. 

Question — What is the percentage of cus¬ 
tomers now using foot appliances? 

Answer — It has been impossible to compile 
any real data on the percentage of customers 
now using foot appliances, but nothing like the 
number of people are using foot appliances that 
should use them, as the average person does not 
know that there is an appliance that will correct 
his particular kind of pains in the feet. Of 
course, this condition is being improved very 
rapidly. Every manufacturer of foot appli¬ 
ances today is spending a great deal of money in 
advertising. This will eventually correct the 
condition. A great deal can be done to im¬ 
prove this situation by the shoe dealer and his 
salesmen when they come to realize the impor¬ 
tance of the foot appliance to the shoe business. 
Many dealers are doing it today and have found 
that the rendering of service through the correc¬ 
tion of foot troubles is a great assistance to 
them in developing their business on shoes and 
a clientele of satisfied customers. 

Question — Have you figures on the percent¬ 
age of people who have foot troubles capable of 
beneficial treatment through the use of foot 
appliances? 

Answer — It has been impossible to get any 
accurate figures on the percentage of people who 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


ISO 

have foot troubles that can be benefited by the 
use of appliances, although the percentage runs 
very high, anywhere from 60 to 80 per cent. Of 
course, some of these cases are in the first stages 
and no pain has developed. They are recog¬ 
nizable, however, and unless corrective methods 
are used they will develop into painful con¬ 
ditions— this is where the salesman comes in. 
He is in a position to render real service, if he is 
alive, wide awake, and thoroughly posted on the 
subject. 

Question — What sort of instruction or train¬ 
ing should retail shoe salesmen have in order 
to fit and sell shoe appliances intelligently and 
safely? 

Answer — In order to fit and sell foot appli¬ 
ances intelligently and with safety, a retail 
salesman should first thoroughly understand the 
mission of a corrective appliance. Its mission 
is only to correct mechanical distortions of the 
foot and relieve pressure that these mechanical 
distortions cause. This pressure, of course, re¬ 
sults in the pain that is felt by the customer. 
The salesman must thoroughly understand the 
construction of the foot; he must be thoroughly 
familiar with the various distortions, the causes 
of same and the results that they produce. In 
our course of instruction we cover all of these 
points in such a simple way that it is easy for 
any salesman to grasp. Naturally we cover 
quite carefully the subject of proper fitting of 


CORRECTIVE APPLIANCES 151 

our appliances. As you must appreciate, only 
fundamental instructions can be given on fitting, 
because in every case the salesman is guided by 
his customer’s own likes and peculiarities. 

Question — Is there danger in shoe sales¬ 
men fitting and selling foot appliances without 
suitable instruction and training therein? 

Answer — There is danger in the shoe sales¬ 
man fitting and selling foot appliances without 
suitable instruction, as he is very apt to fit an 
appliance where it is not needed or he is apt to 
fit the wrong appliance for the condition that 
exists. In the case of a customer with callouses 
across the ball of the foot, a longitudinal support 
would do no good. If a customer is sold this 
longitudinal support for a callous condition, the 
support is condemned and the salesman is 
condemned. 

Question — How generally do retail shoe 
stores carry some form or forms of foot 
appliances? 

Answer — Practically every shoe store carries 
some form of foot appliances. Some of them 
carry appliances simply to meet the demand that 
is made on them while others carry and conduct 
the sale of appliances in a scientific way. 

Question — Are retail shoe merchants and 
salesmen studying the problem of foot appli¬ 
ances, or do they merely have them “on hand,” 
as they do shoe laces, dressings, etc.? 

Answer — Retail shoe merchants and their 


152 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


salesmen are gradually beginning to give very 
serious consideration to the problem of foot 
appliances. The progressive dealer is beginning 
to realize that foot appliances have a place in 
his store. Foot appliances have nearly always 
been considered by the retail shoe merchant as 
a necessary accessory, the same as shoe laces, 
polishes, and so forth. The extensive educa¬ 
tional and publicity work that has been done 
during the last two years by foot appliance 
manufacturers is gradually bringing the dealer 
around to a point where he is beginning to 
realize that the selling of foot appliances is one 
thing and that the scientific study and treat¬ 
ing of foot troubles is another. 

To a great extent the sale of foot appliances 
in shoe stores is a matter of suggestion on the 
part of the dealer to his salesmen. Of course, 
the public is gradually getting around to 
a point where they know that there is such 
a thing as a mechanical distortion of the 
foot, but the great possibilities in the field right 
now lie with the dealer himself. The salesman 
who demonstrates to his customer that he knows 
what he is talking about and that he knows how 
to fit shoes will very quickly win the confidence 
of that customer and a mere suggestion from 
him that a foot appliance is needed will usually 
result in a sale. Naturally, this suggestion 
should not be made unless the appliance is actu¬ 
ally needed. The forcing of sales of foot appli- 


CORRECTIVE APPLIANCES 153 

ances is, of course, a detriment to the industry 
and to the dealer himself. 

A PROFESSIONAL SUBJECT 

It may be put down as an indisputable fact 
that arch supports should never be sold where 
they are not known to be needed. It is incon¬ 
ceivable that any untroubled foot could be 
benefited thereby, on the contrary, injury would 
almost certainly result. Were it not for some 
traits of human nature there would be no need 
to dwell on this point. However, we all know 
that there are certain people who have a desire 
to try “everything that’s going,” whether they 
need it or not, whether useful or otherwise. Foot 
appliances are not free from the longings of such 
people. The salesman should tactfully refuse to 
accommodate them. 

Handling arch supports and other foot appli¬ 
ances should be considered as a professional 
subject, something on the order of medicine — 
with the utmost care to avoid mistakes. The 
maxim: “Be sure you’re right, then go ahead,” 
surely applies here. 

Whenever an appliance has been fitted and 
sold the salesman should insist upon the pur¬ 
chaser returning to the store for examination 
from time to time — for adjustment and 
changes that may be necessary as time goes on. 
Some appliances are made with as many as 
forty-one adjustable positions. This clearly 


154 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


shows how important it is to provide for changes 
to meet the requirements of the foot. 

Foot appliances are designed and made to 
meet such a variety of foot ailments as flat-foot, 
painful heel, corns, callouses, hammer-toe, con¬ 
tracted foot, bunions, enlarged joints, etc. 

ONE RESPONSIBILITY 

One of the responsibilities of retail shoe 
salesmanship that may well be mentioned in 
connection with this chapter, is this: The sales¬ 
man has an absolute duty to refer customers 
suffering with foot troubles, beyond the ordinary 
store-and-service remedy, to the physician or 
surgeon. It is a wicked thing to violate this 
obligation. If there is in your town or city a 
reputable physician who has made something of 
a specialty of foot troubles, send your bad cases 
of foot ills to him. If there is a recognized, con- 
cientious orthopedic surgeon in town, send them 
to him. Remember always that the physician 
and surgeon have extensive training in and 
knowledge of not only the anatomy of the foot 
but of the entire body and the inter-relation of 
all the bodily elements. 

Dr. E. H. Bradford says: “Many individuals 
who have worn close-fitting muscle-binding 
shoes cannot suddenly change to muscle-develop¬ 
ing shoes. The change must be gradual with 
slowly increasing use of shoes that do not bind or 
cramp. The eventual use, however, of a suit- 


CORRECTIVE APPLIANCES 155 

able non-foot-binding shoe is necessary for foot 
strength and health.” 

VARIOUS POINTS 

Some of the various points to be considered 
in fitting foot appliances are: 

1. When an appliance is fitted to a foot en¬ 
cased in a certain type or style of shoe it must 
be borne in mind that if the purchaser changes 
to another type or style of shoe, the appliance 
cannot be expected to operate in like manner 
in the second pair of shoes. He should be in¬ 
formed on this point at the time when the fitting 
is given and the purchase made. 

2. Fitting of appliances always implies that 
the shoes of the purchaser are themselves fitted 
correctly. This is important. It is futile, or at 
least difficult, to do anything with an appliance 
if the wearer uses incorrectly fitted shoes. Of 
course, the good salesman will recognize poorly 
fitted footwear and will tactfully inform the cus¬ 
tomer of the fact. At the same time he will 
point out the specific place or places of mis¬ 
fitting and give whatever advice may be found 
necessary. 

3. A point not to be overlooked in selling 
foot appliances, even though it is often con¬ 
sidered as a matter of minor consequence, is 
the general condition of the shoes in which the 
device is to be worn. Run-over shoe heels are 
to be especially guarded against. This is, of 


156 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

course, true at all times. The salesman will do 
well to advise all customers on this point and 
suggest that they give special attention to the 
matter of having their shoes kept in proper 
shape. 


CHAPTER IX 


FOOT EXERCISES 

THE FIRST STEP 

Weakened foot muscles, like all other muscles, 
can only be made stronger by building up. This 
is accomplished through exercise. Foot troubles 
of many kinds will respond with good effect to 
exercise of the muscles. Bones do not usually 
lose their proper places and relationships ex¬ 
cepting through letting-up of the muscles and 
the muscle attachments that hold and control 
them. 

Without doubt the first step to be taken in 
the process of treatment is that of fitting the 
foot with a shoe that allows freedom of muscular 
action. A foot bound in a shoe that is too tight 
or too short is like a person imprisoned in a small 
cell. Evercise of an adequate character cannot 
thus be had. Release the prisoner into freedom 
of movement! 

Exercise for a sick foot is not a matter to 
be rushed into too hastily or blindly any more 
than in the case of a person who has been ill 
and is in a run-down condition. The building-up 
process must be proportioned to the condition 
157 


i 5 8 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

of the foot and gradually increased and changed 
as improvement is shown. 

ETHICS 

There is no reason why a foot-fitting expert 
should not advise in these matters. Due recog¬ 
nition must in every case, however, be given to 
what physicians call “ethics.” The line marking 
the limit of the salesman’s effort in the way of 
advice and guidance, and the beginning of the 
physician’s rightful field of operation must be 
considered and respected. Do not trespass upon 
the field of the medical man. 

Nevertheless, there are many instances where 
the shoe salesman may and should use his knowl¬ 
edge in advising the customer concerning exer¬ 
cises tending to strengthen weakened muscles. 

GENERAL CONDITION 

First, consideration must be given to the gen¬ 
eral physical condition of a person before advis¬ 
ing as to foot-muscle exercising. If the person 
is in a run-down condition and the muscles weak 
all over the body, it is useless to expect to build 
up the foot muscles beyond the point of the well¬ 
being of the whole system. In such cases the 
obvious course is to advise proper medical atten¬ 
tion directed at a general upbuilding. The foot 
exercises should, however, go along with the 
general scheme of health improvement and 
muscle development. 


FOOT EXERCISES 


159 


INDIVIDUAL JUDGMENT 

Exercise for a special purpose must fit the in¬ 
dividual requirement. It is unwise for a sales¬ 
man to recommend any one particular line of 
exercise if his own originality and the good sense 
of the customer can invent methods and move¬ 
ments that will accomplish the desired results 
even better than any stated rules. The experi¬ 
ence of others qualified in this matter can be a 
guide, nevertheless. 

SUGGESTED EXERCISES 

The Y.W.C.A. has issued suggestions for foot- 
exercise designed to assist in correcting certain 
foot troubles, as follows: 

For weak longitudinal arches: 

Position — Stand with feet parallel 

Movement — 1. Raise inner border up and 
out, knees straight, toes and heels on floor. 

2. Replace. Repeat 10 to 30 times, resting 
after each five. 

Same trouble: 

Position — Stand with toes together, heels 
three or four inches apart. 

Movement—1. Raise feet with toes to¬ 
gether, keeping heels on the floor. 

2. Replace. Repeat 10 to 30 times, resting 
after each five. 


160 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

For weak transverse arches: 

Position — i. Sit with feet parallel and pull 
toes under forcibly. 

2. Repeat from io to 30 times, resting after 
each time. 

For weak transverse and longitudinal arches: 

Position — Sit with right leg crossed over left 
knee, toe-in with supporting foot and bend right 
foot. 

Movement—1. Circle out to right, down, 
in to left, and up to starting position; continue 
five times. Repeat each exercise 40 to 50 times. 

2. Reverse starting position, with left foot 
five times. Repeat each exercise 40 to 50 times. 
Rest after each five times. 

Two sets of muscles operating in opposite 
directions control all the movements of the foot. 
Each muscle has some other muscle that acts 
in harmony with it as a sort of team mate. One 
muscle contracts, its opposite must relax that 
much. They must work in harmony. In this 
way operation and movement is produced up¬ 
ward and downward, inward and outward. In 
abnormal conditions one set of muscles contracts 
more than normal; the corresponding muscles 
are obliged to relax to the same excessive degree. 
If too long maintained, the muscles become set 
in this abnormal relationship. Only right exer¬ 
cise can remedy this condition. Such exercises 
as tend to work out or counteract the condition 


FOOT EXERCISES 161 

must be employed. In other words, the muscles 
must be worked in a contrary way from that 
which was the original cause of the abnormal 
condition. 

Francis A. Guinivan suggests several foot- 
exercises: 

“i. Muscle control: When you are in a sit¬ 
ting or lying position with limbs directly from 
the body and knees close together, the soles of 
the feet should be turned as nearly facing each 
other as possible, then the toes should be 
cramped under the foot. This should be done 
many times, and the harder the toes are strained 
the better the exercise. 

“2. To overcome flat-foot construction: Walk 
on the outside of the foot, as far over as it is 
possible to get, one foot being placed directly in 
front of the other, as a person walks. This is 
directly opposite to the position of the falling 
arch, and it treats the muscles accordingly. It 
forces the contraction from the muscles that 
hold the foot in the outward swung position, 
and assists the weakened muscles that should 
pull the foot back to regain their normal 
strength. 

“3. Removing contractions from heel and 
toes: Walk on the heels with the ball of the foot 
raised as far from the floor as possible, the toes 
cramped under the foot. This exercise will re¬ 
move many contractions, at the same time it 
will be of special benefit to the strong cords at 


162 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


the back of the heel. Its purpose is to remove 
the contraction from all muscles, cords, and 
ligaments that hold the arches of the foot in a 
contracted position. This is of benefit to both 
the transverse and longitudinal arches. 

“4. Spreading of the toes: This exercise pays 
special attention to the muscles that control the 
transverse arch. To accomplish this exercise 
mental persuasion, such as spreading the fingers 
the same time the toes are being spread, should 
be used. In some instances where the muscles 
have been allowed to become very weak, it will 
be found necessary at first to spread the toes 
by the aid of the fingers. 

“5. There are many other exercises of great 
value such as picking up marbles with the toes. 
Another excellent one is that of making the fore¬ 
part of the foot describe a circle when the heels 
are resting on something and the limbs are held 
directly out from the body. Interested cus¬ 
tomers may originate their own exercises as long 
as they tend to follow the same reasoning in re¬ 
gard to the contracted muscles as previously 
described. 

“6. Massage: When contracted conditions 
of the muscles have been of long duration, a 
thorough kneading of the muscles will greatly 
help the exercising and will, in turn, allow the 
feet to respond much more quickly to the prin¬ 
ciples of corrective shoes. Vigorous massaging 
has the tendency to stimulate circulation. Im- 


FOOT EXERCISES 


163 

proved circulation increases muscular strength, 
which is a much desired feature. It also has a 
tendency to offset excessive perspiration, to 
warm cold feet, and to prevent many troubles 
such as chilblains, callouses, hard and soft corns. 

“7. Exercise while shoes are on the feet: All 
exercises previously described should be taken 
when the foot is bare. However, one of the best 
exercises that can be undertaken, is done while 
the shoes are on the feet and when the person is 
walking. The feet should be kept going directly 
in front of the body, tending to an inward swing 
rather than to any outward pointing. With each 
step the toes should be cramped under the foot, 
in the manner of a person walking barefoot on 
the sand, when, to accomplish a natural grip, 
one has to wing the foot inward and dig with the 
toes. After this exercise has been practiced for 
a short time, it becomes almost second nature 
to keep the feet pointed directly ahead and thus 
have the toes assume part of the weight of the 
body. This is along the same lines as No. 1 and 
No. 3, and gives a healthy exercise to nearly 
every important muscle of the foot.” 

Tip-toe exercises — rising on the toes — are 
excellent for strengthening the muscles and ten¬ 
dons, not only of the toes, but of the sole of the 
foot. The sole muscles and tendons have been 
described as “tie rods” or “bow-strings.” 
The likeness is clearly brought out in the 
illustration on page 164. Exercises that 


164 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

strengthen these will increase their firmness and 
thus have a good effect in holding up the bow of 
the foot-arch, after the manner of the string of 
a bow. The following are suggested: 

(a) Rising high on the toes; then slowly 
lowering the body until the heel rests on the 



ground; then repeating the above movements. 
Probably five minutes of this, both morning and 
night, will be sufficient. In this exercise, the per¬ 
son must rise as high as possible on his toes; 
since in rising only part way the muscles of the 
calf are chiefly concerned and not those of the 
foot which it is desired to develop. 

(b) Climbing up and down flights of stairs 
is good exercise to strengthen the foot muscles. 
















FOOT EXERCISES 


165 

(c) An excellent exercise is to have the per¬ 
son sit in a chair, shoes off. Resting his heel 
against the floor, he forcibly bends and inverts 
the foot. This exercise can be made much more 
severe in the gymnasium by hooking the toes 
over the handle of a light chest weight or 
exerciser. 

All these special exercises should be con¬ 
tinued and progressively increased until the 
muscles concerned feel quite tired. Usually ex¬ 
ercising from five to seven minutes twice daily 
is long enough at the outset. The special ex¬ 
ercises will need to be continued for several 
weeks, the time necessarily depending on the 
degree of foot defect and the rapidity with which 
it is corrected. 

Other simple, good exercises are: 

Cross the legs at the knees, sway the weight 
of the body sideways 30 or 40 times; at the same 
time “work” the toes with a gripping movement; 
reverse the legs and repeat. 

Stand on one foot, placing the other foot be¬ 
hind the ankle; rotate the body a few times, of 
course preserving bodily balance meanwhile. 
Stand on the other leg in the same way and 
repeat. 

Foot exercise should be done in the bare feet 
preferably but they are also all right in cor¬ 
rectly fitting stockings. If the shoe is properly 
fitted, good can also be accomplished by per¬ 
forming foot exercise with the shoe on. 


166 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

Raise the heel about an inch and walk on 
toes and ball of foot, without bringing the heel 
down at all. Cover about ioo yards. Repeat. 
This can be done anywhere, anytime and fre¬ 
quently. A little practice will enable one to 
walk this way without limping or otherwise at¬ 
tracting attention. 

Rolling of heavy dumb-bells with the feet and 
attempting to grasp a towel with the feet, bal¬ 
ancing the body with one foot upon the yielding 
surface of a mattress or cushion, are exercises, 
for the sole muscles particularly, by Dr. E. H. 
Bradford. 

The heel is primarily designed to sustain the 
weight of the body in a standing position. There 
are not many muscles in the heel but, as we all 
know, the tendon of the Achilles, or the heel ten¬ 
don, is the strongest in the body. If this tendon 
and its attached muscles are weakened, exercise 
should be employed for restoration of the nor¬ 
mal power and utility. 

PROPER WAY OF WALKING 

Everybody knows something of the tremen¬ 
dous value of walking as an exercise. The whole 
body and mind benefit from it. 

Walking, to perform its best service, needs to 
be done properly. Habit of gait is as likely to 
be bad as good. City people spend money to 
learn horseback riding correctly. Practically no 
one spends even a thought to the matter of cor- 


FOOT EXERCISES 


167 

rect walking. Yet it is well worth learning. Re¬ 
tail shoe salesmen can and should exert a wide 
influence as educators in proper foot locomotion. 
We shall here give some facts on the process. 



Dr. Ellis describes the act of walking as “a 
series of alternate risings to tiptoe of either foot 
so as to take the weight of the body alternately 
on each. In this position the body is propelled 
onward in the direction of the other foot 
(brought forward ready to go through the same 
movement) towards which the body is also 
drawn.” 










CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


168 

POSITION 

The feet should point straight ahead of the 
body and be maintained in position parallel to 
each other. Position of the feet in this way is 
certainly the natural one. The weight of the 
body is thus passed down the line of the leg, 
through the ankle and on through the arches to 
the tripod or three-pointed bearings of the foot 
and to the toes. If the feet are outspread, as 
is so commonly the case, the arch tends to lower 
and the ankle to press inward. The body-weight 
thus is changed from the natural focussing point 
in the arches and thrust heavily downward on 
the longitudinal arch. This is true of the 
standing position as well as in walking. Walk¬ 
ing is, after all, only, as one writer has said, 
“standing in motion.” 

The above described correct walking position 
is also the correct standing position. Nature 
plans the handling of the body-weight by the 
feet in this position. If adhered to it will, in rea¬ 
son, not cause tiredness because the weight is 
borne by all three main bearing points in due 
proportion. Undue strain on muscles, ligaments 
and bones is thus obviated. Walking or stand¬ 
ing with the exercise of the correct position of 
the feet, reduces fatigue to its natural minimum. 
Not only that, but true grace of movement in 
walking is only in this way assured. Beauty of 
foot form and grace are part of the reward. 


FOOT EXERCISES 169 

Urge upon your customers the basic need of 
recognizing, practicing and permanently acquir¬ 
ing proper position of the feet in walking. Aided 
by correct shoes, this will be the road to foot 
health. It is easily followed and the goal plainly 
seen all along the journey. Nor is it hard to 
follow if the customer really desires it. 

Irrespective of the position in which the feet 
may be used in walking, muscle-exercising 
gained in this way and otherwise, is bound to be 
beneficial although no arch-cure can be certain 
without proper position. Some people will not 
use will-power sufficient to effect a desirable 
change in position. In such cases put the stress 
on exercise anyhow, both in definite methods as 
mentioned in this chapter and in walking. Half 
a loaf is better than none. 

CHILDREN 

Children are much easier to mould than grown 
people and can easily be taught to stand and 
walk properly. Once learned by children at a 
tender age, they will never depart from it. This 
pleasing fact suggests to the earnest shoe fitter 
that he can do a great deal of lasting good by 
explaining to mothers and fathers the important 
facts that have to do with proper walking. Nor¬ 
mal children need no urging to exercise the feet. 
They run, hop and skip all day long, anyhow. 
In cases where children have foot trouble, how¬ 
ever, foot exercise should be considered just the 


170 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


same as with older people, as a means of im¬ 
provement and cure. 

Fit a child with proper footwear, teach it to 
stand and walk correctly and if it sticks to these 
things, it will never have foot-trouble except in 
the unusual case as a result of accident, illness 
or heredity. 

Certain other suggestions relating to this same 
subject are worth noting. Too rapid walking is 
not advisable. This limits the opportunity for 
the forepart of the foot to do its full duty at each 
step. The same thing is true of too long strides. 
This causes the heel to receive more than its 
share of the impact in each step, and forces un¬ 
usual and unnecessary strain on some of the 
muscles in lifting the body and propelling it for¬ 
ward. Both of these things also limit the possi¬ 
bility of selecting the best foothold and there¬ 
by increases the risk of turned-ankle or other 
strain. The firmer the pressure of the foot on 
the ground in walking, the better the result. 
The suggestion therefore is to walk so as to per¬ 
mit the forward part of the foot to do as much 
of the work as possible. Absolutely ideal 
and scientific walking would have the toes and 
ball of the foot striking the ground first at each 
foot-fall. 

Emphasize the good effects of proper breath¬ 
ing while walking. Make it a point to breathe 
only through the nose. Stop occasionally and 
inhale several long, deep breaths. 


FOOT EXERCISES 


171 


BENEFIT OF WALKING 

Dr. John J. Walsh, Medical Director of Ford- 
ham University School of Sociology, in his re¬ 
cently published and very valuable book on 
“Health Through Will Power,” strongly urges 
walking as a powerful ally in securing and hold¬ 
ing health. He says that young and old, the 
young even more than the old, should walk much 
more than is the average custom these days. 

Walking, he asserts, should be done every day . 
in the year, not merely a little stroll, but a brisk 
walk of three or four miles. He states, and this 
may surprise many, that people whose work re¬ 
quires much standing during the day should 
walk to and from work, or elsewhere, several 
miles a day. “A great many people who stand 
during the day,” says he, “would probably deem 
it quite out of the question for them to walk 
three miles or more to and from their business 
for their feet get so tired that they feel they 
could not endure it. What they need more than 
anything else, however, is exercise that will 
bring about a stimulation of the circulation in 
their feet. 

“Standing is very depressing to the circula¬ 
tion. It leads to compression of the veins, and 
hence, interference with the return circulation. 
This in turn results in lowered nutrition which 
has the effect of producing flat-foot and tends to 
create corns and callouses. Walking in reason- 


172 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

ably well fitting shoes, on the contrary, tends to 
make the feet ever so much less sensitive.” Dr. 
Walsh especially urges an evening walk as a 
good preparation for sound sleeping. 

Every retail shoe salesman has many cus¬ 
tomers whose occupations compel long standing 
on the feet. Consider the advice here given and 
influence such people to walk more and thus to 
improve their health. 


CHAPTER X 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS IN CORRECT 
SHOE FITTING 


THE GOAL 

Ways of doing the same things are nearly as 
numerous as the number of people doing them. 
It is idle to suppose that expert service of so 
strictly human a character as foot-fitting can be 
standardized to any great extent. The human 
hand, eye, brain and heart all enter into the 
process of fitting a pair of shoes to each cus¬ 
tomer. And as no two retail shoe salesmen are 
alike so also no two customers are similar in 
temperament, mentality, taste, nature or phy¬ 
sique. This is another reason why retail shoe 
salesmanship is rightly to be considered a 
profession. 

The goal is the same in every case — a prop¬ 
erly fitted customer is unquestionably the first 
and greatest aim. But as different people go to 
the same place by different roads and in different 
conveyances, so this goal of correctly fitting each 
customer is reached by different salesmen in 
varying ways. 

For this excellent reason, it has seemed worth 
while in this volume to gather together, es- 
173 


174 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


pecially for this purpose, some of the experi¬ 
ences, opinions, ideas, methods, and conclusions 
of various successful people whose profession 
is that of scientific, correct shoe fitting. These 
are given, not as entirely covering the subject, 
but as typical and representative, and in the 
certainty of being helpful in causing the students 
of this Course to compare notes from their own 
efforts, and best of all, in causing them to think 
further and more deeply into this great subject. 

NO TWO ALIKE 

E. H. Powers, Washington, D. C., says: “I 
have never adopted any one set policy in fitting 
shoes. Each and every case must be handled 
in a different manner, for the reason that no 
two persons’ feet, nor their dispositions, are 
alike. 

“In the first place, although most stores use 
a measuring stick or chart, I never in my life 
have used either. I resolved, when I went into 
the shoe business, to make it my life profession, 
and so immediately set about learning all I could. 
As the early part of my career involved selling 
on the floor, the phases I studied first were the 
construction of shoes and the construction of 
the human foot in all stages of its growth and 
development, its formation and malformations. 

“I say I never used a measure of any sort — 
I never needed one. 

“It was a comparatively long time before I 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS 


175 

ventured to wait on trade on my own accord. 
At first I acted as stock-boy to our best sales¬ 
man who was a man I have always con¬ 
sidered as being the best in the business. 
When he waited on a customer I was right 
there to fetch the shoes he called for — 
and all the time I was watching him work, 
studying his methods of greeting and seating a 
customer, the manner in which he placed a cus¬ 
tomer at ease, how he gained their confidence, 
and how he judged their feet and the fitting 
thereof. 

CONFIDENCE MOST IMPORTANT 

“Let me say right here that one of the most 
important things of all is confidence. No man 
is really going to please a customer unless he has 
the customer’s confidence. And to gain this, he 
must have confidence in himself — the confi¬ 
dence bred of knowledge. When a man knows 
his business and knows that he knows it, when 
he believes in himself he can easily make others 
believe in him. That is fully half the sale. 

“When a man makes a statement to a cus¬ 
tomer he should be able to answer any questions, 
or give any explanation of that statement that 
the customer may request. Having gained the 
customer’s confidence and determined in his 
own mind what shoe will best fit the type of foot 
before him, the rest of the job is easy. It is a 
matter of selecting a style to please, of making, 


176 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

perhaps, some concise statement of facts em¬ 
phasizing the desirability of the shoe and then 
the final, confident assertion — ‘That’s your 
fit.’ The sale is closed and the customer is 
pleased. 

SELLING TO WOMEN 

“Let me take up the question of selling shoes 
to women. 

“The first thing to do when a woman comes 
into a store is to seat her. Seat her first, and 
then remove the shoe from one foot. A pleas¬ 
ant remark during this process will not hurt. 

“Having taken off the shoe, look inside for 
the size and the width. Never ask a woman, 
‘What is your size?’ There may be others 
seated near, and a woman is usually averse to 
having her size generally known to strangers. 

“Having read the size of the shoe, the sales¬ 
man should examine it carefully, note its appear¬ 
ance and also examine the other shoe that re¬ 
mains on the customer’s foot. Having done this, 
the salesman should be able to tell whether or 
not the shoe was just the right size, width or 
shape. 

“Another thing, it is well to remember that 
a woman is very susceptible to flattery — she 
likes it. Never bring out a shoe that is too long. 
The expert fitter will rarely bring out the proper 
shoe the first time, but when in doubt, he will 
always bring out a shoe too short, rather than 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS 


177 


too long. The implied flattery will have a men¬ 
tal effect on the customer that works in favor of 
the salesman. 

REPEAT TRADE 

“The salesman who can on the first attempt, 
bring out a shoe that is correct in size, width 
and shape has not only made a sale but has 
made a permanent customer — one who on 
future occasions can be sold and satisfied 
with the first shoe shown, and this, by the 
way, is a very important factor for success. 
The thing to strive for is “repeat” trade that 
buys quickly through confidence. It is the goal 
toward which every real shoe salesman aims be¬ 
cause it means a personal following. 

FOUR FITTING POINTS 

“On close analysis, you will find, even as I 
have, that shoe fitting is a vital part of shoe 
salesmanship, and that the two cannot be sepa¬ 
rated. It takes years of constant and consistent 
study of the construction of shoes, of the human 
foot, the human mind and of human nature to 
make a really good shoe salesman. For the 
good salesman knows he must fit the customer's 
mind for style, foot for size and shape, purse for 
price, and disposition for confidence and future 
sales. 

STUDY SHOES 

“Along with all this it is essential that a man 
who would ultimately be successful in the shoe 


178 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

business must make a study of shoes and their 
construction. Often the man who knows 
leather, processes of manufacture and lasts can 
sell a customer through knowledge of what 
should or should not go on the foot, while 
another salesman who does not have this 
knowledge will fail to please the customer, 
and never understand why. Some persons 
cannot wear calfskin, others push kidskin 
all out of shape in a short while, still others 
are unable to wear tan leathers. Some in¬ 
sist on turned soles, others must have welts, and 
so it goes. 

“Besides these reasons for studying shoes, 
there is this consideration: A man must know 
shoe materials and shoe building if he is eager 
to hold a big position, or if he expects to run his 
own business. 

INVESTIGATE 

“Ask questions. Be constantly on the lookout 
for additional information on all phases of the 
shoe business. Here is a good thing to remem¬ 
ber. Between knowing a thing and finding out 
there is an important and valuable step. It is 
the knowledge of how and where to find out. 

“I would not say that these suggestions as 
outlined must be blindly followed to insure suc¬ 
cess. But they are my personal methods and 
experiences. I feel confident in assuring anyone 
who will follow this general plan that he will be 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS 


179 


able to step into any position — buying, manag¬ 
ing, or running his own business, and will be able 
to hold his own in any company in discussing 
any phase of the shoe business. 

“It is the shoe business, complete, boiled 
down. And the whole story is: Eyes and Ears 
— and brain — wide open, every minute — that 
and time” 

Hollis B. Scates of Boston, under the head of 
“Salesmanship and Knowledge Applied to Shoe 
Fitting,” says: 

THREE GROUPS OF FEET 

“Back of correct shoe fitting lie certain fun¬ 
damentals which are necessary to be known be¬ 
fore even a start can be made to learn the 
mechanics of the art itself. First, I would place 
a knowledge of the character of feet, as ex¬ 
pressed in the individual. 

“They can be divided into three broad groups, 
as to bone and fat: 

“ (1) Thin boned feet, sparsely covered with 
flesh 

“(2) Thick boned feet well covered with 
flesh 

“(3) Many variations and compromises in 
between, which may be classed in each group, 
such as: 

“(a) Long backparts with correspondingly 
short foreparts, or short-toed feet 

“ (b) Shorter backparts with longer toes 


180 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

“(c) Flat and arched feet 
“(d) Feet with under or over-measurements 
at various points, the most common being ab¬ 
normally high or low insteps, and 

“(e) The combination foot requiring a back- 
part one, two, and even more sizes narrower 
than will properly fit the ball. 

“We must accept the fact that these and other 
types of feet exist. It is necessary that the 
shoe fitter should develop a keen sense of obser¬ 
vation until he has studied enough to make a 
private collection of all possible types. He 
should classify and file them away in his own pri¬ 
vate brain-index-file. After this knowledge has 
been obtained — and it is no simple matter — 
the young fitter can next apply himself to a 
study of the lasts themselves. He is then ready, 
also, to study the shoes in his own stock that 
best meet the needs of various types of feet. 

“To merchants I would suggest that when¬ 
ever practicable in buying new lasts or styles, 
it will help “sell” the line to the sales force if 
the merits are gone over with them and an actual 
fitting demonstration made. Many lines of 
shelfwarmers are such because they were not 
properly sold to the sales force itself. 

“How can any sales people acquire the neces¬ 
sary knowledge of lasts, patterns and their char¬ 
acteristics? Through conferences of salesmen 
and saleswomen in individual stores or depart¬ 
ments, led by the merchant or buyer, through 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS 181 

town and city associations of salespeople, at 
meetings to which can be invited last manufac¬ 
turers and others well grounded in the knowledge 
desired, and through interchange of ideas among 
the salespeople themselves. 

KNOW OTHER LINES 

“It is not enough for the salesman to know 
thoroughly the shoes in their own stock. They 
should and must know the selling strength of 
lines other than their own. Every known line 
with anatomic features should be familar to 
every salesman who really wants to be master of 
his game. It is just that extra knowledge that 
makes a man most valuable to his own em¬ 
ployer. It also fits him for the best job in the 
town if he has outgrown the possibilities of 
compensation and advancement in his present 
place of employment. 

ACTUAL KNOWLEDGE 

“Acquiring all the knowledge of fundamentals 
as outlined does more for the salesman than 
give him a mere abstract knowledge. It 
adds to his power of salesmanship be¬ 
cause he uses his actual ‘know-why’ as a 
basis for his selling conversation with the 
customer and he can talk intelligently enough 
to be interesting to the customer. It will 
add to the salesman’s personal following 


182 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

because it leaves the impression on the cus¬ 
tomer that his man not only is pleasant, 
courteous, and painstaking, but one who 
really knows. And men who know and can ex¬ 
ecute on the basis of actual knowledge are the 
men who inspire confidence and who cash-in on 
their better knowledge.” 

FIT ACCORDING TO BALL 

J. M. Watson, San Antonio, Texas, says: 

“The experienced fitter knows that two feet 
measuring the same length on the size stick 
sometime require as much as two or three sizes 
differences in the fitting. By this I mean that 
the foot with real long toes should be fitted very 
much shorter than the foot with short toes — 
that the foot should be fitted according to the 
ball and not according to the toe length. ” 
George E. Peirce, Providence, R.I. says: 

“The first thing that we teach our salespeople 
in the fitting of shoes is to select the last that 
in their judgment is the best one for the foot 
they are to fit. The next thing to do in 
trying the shoe on is to make sure that the ball 
of the foot is in proper place in the tread of 
the shoe as the last maker intended. 

“If the ball joint is too far forward when the 
weight of the body is on the foot it will throw 
a wrinkle back of the joint. From this the sales¬ 
person will know that the shoe is too short; if, 
on the other hand, the shoe is fitted too long, 
the ball joint will strike on the upper over the 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS 183 

shank. This of course can readily be deter¬ 
mined by feeling of the foot. 

DETERMINING RIGHT LAST 

“We determine whether or not the last is the 
right shape for the foot by finding out how the 
upper wrinkles across the vamp. Every last 
should break straight across the vamp if it is 
properly fitted to the foot for which it was in¬ 
tended. 

“If the shoe that is being tried on is an oxford 
or a boot, the upper should be given attention. 
Special care should be employed to see that it 
does not lace too far apart or too close together. 
In the first case it will pull down on the sides 
as the shoe is worn, in the second it will lace 
together and throw wrinkles down the side after 
it is worn a short time. 

BACK PATTERN 

“After the boots or oxfords are laced it is 
necessary to see that the patterns at the back 
seam fit properly. In some cases the curve of 
the pattern at the back is so high up that it 
pushes the top down into the foxing of the shoe. 
Oxfords sometimes seem to fit the foot properly 
while on the fitting stool but when the weight of 
the body is on the foot it pushes the foot for¬ 
ward and allows the counter to set off a little 
way from the heel. 

“In button boots, of course, the same ideas 


184 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

prevail and a great many times while the but¬ 
toned upper fits perfectly on the foot when on 
the fitting stool we find that the top pattern is 
not properly fitted to the particular foot and will 
push down into the foxing at the back. 

“One of the things that should be watched 
carefully in the fitting of pumps is the width. 
Make sure that the last is wide enough across 
the shank so that when the foot is in place it 
will not pull down at the sides and cause the 
upper to buckle, thus making a gap on the out¬ 
side.” 

THE SIZE STICK 

F. H. Bush, vice-president of Wetherby- 
Kayser Shoe Co., Los Angeles, Cal., says: 

“In our establishment we depend to a great 
extent upon the use of the size-stick, thereby 
obtaining the fundamental base (which is 
length) for all fitting. The width naturally is 
gauged from the length and, in addition, con¬ 
sideration is given to the peculiarities of the in¬ 
dividual foot, also the style of the footwear 
selected. The peculiarities may be in the nature 
of fleshy or thin foot, high or low arch or any 
minor deformity. 

FITTING THE EYE 

“From my personal experience I have ob¬ 
served and often remarked that the greatest 
difficulty the retail shoe salesman has to con- 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS 


i85 

tend with is the fitting of the eye — especially 
in handling women’s trade. I believe that about 
95 per cent of sales are made by first pleasing 
the eye. As a rule there is very little difficulty 
experienced in fitting the foot with the style 
that has been pleasing to the eye. 

IMPARTING CONFIDENCE 

“The real test of salesmanship is when the 
style that is pleasing to the eye does not conform 
to the foot of the customer. The salesman is 
then obliged to convince his prospect that some 
other last or model is more suited to the purpose. 
This can only be accomplished if the salesman 
has explicit confidence in himself and then in 
turn imparts this to the customer. 

“To sum up this whole question it would seem 
that all salesmen, to be successful must first have 
confidence in themselves. This can be obtained 
by securing a working knowledge of sizes, lasts, 
material used in shoemaking and processes of 
construction. This backed up with the ability 
to judge and serve the customer sums up briefly 
the requirements of a retail shoe expert. 

KNOWLEDGE OF FOOT ANATOMY 

H. C. McLaughlin, vice-president of the Pot¬ 
ter Shoe Co., Cincinnati, says: 

“A good shoe fitter ought to have a knowledge 
of the anatomy of the human foot. He should 
learn at the beginning that there is a difference 


186 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

in feet as there is in faces. He must also know 
that it is his duty to his firm and his customer to 
fit each foot with a shoe made to conform to 
its special characteristics. 

“It requires diligence on the salesman’s part 
to study his stock, to keep posted on the char¬ 
acter of the styles of lasts in stock, and be able 
to locate them when required. He must know 
the proper basis for fitting lasts of different 
styles and character, whether they require aver¬ 
age long or extra long fittings. 

“His experience will also teach him that while 
three to four size fittings are necessary for some 
feet, average fittings of two or three sizes over 
do well on normal feet and give real comfort. 
Flat thin feet will require three to four sizes, 
while a stout foot, or high arch and instep with 
short toes, require only two or two and one-half 
sizes over. 

“A real shoe fitter, after sufficient experience, 
should be able by inspection of the foot to deter¬ 
mine the following essentials: 

“(i) Whether high, medium or low heel is 
required 

“(2) Whether proper fitting can be secured 
in long last or shorter. 

“(3) Consideration of the bottom width of 
the last, in its relation to perfect fitting. 

“I have in mind a salesman who absolutely 
adhered to this rule, who always had a large 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS 187 

personal following and who finally became man¬ 
ager of the business in which he started. 

FAMILIARITY WITH STOCK 

“After the salesman has decided on the above 
points he should then be familiar with his stock 
so that he may be in a position to give the cus¬ 
tomer what is needed. He should not be too in¬ 
sistent in fitting his customer the first time from 
what his knowledge and experience have taught 
him. Many people have their own ideas as to 
how they should be fitted and this, by the way, 
in most cases is absolutely wrong. However 
with the exercise of a little tact the salesman will 
be able to give better fitting, and will gain the 
confidence of his patron. Finally, of course, he 
will be able to fit her perfectly. This leads to 
greater comfort. The customer will recognize 
the fact that she is receiving valuable service 
and soon will not permit anyone else to wait on 
her. This in turn gives the salesman a personal 
following which not only is of great value to him¬ 
self but is also an asset to his employer.” 

FITTING TOO SHORT 

Elwyn Pond, Proprietor of the Hub Shoe 
Store, Flint, Michigan, says: 

“We hear more complaints from customers on 
poorly fitting shoes than from any other cause 
— and usually because the shoes are too short. 
In these days of long-drawn-out lasts we occa¬ 
sionally have a complaint from a woman who 


188 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

thinks she has been fitted too long, but with the 
average style of shoes it is preferable to 
have plenty of length than to take a chance on 
fitting a trifle short. I try to educate my sales¬ 
people to use sticks in their fitting of shoes 
rather than to depend upon the size the customer 
has formerly worn.” 

Nearly all bunions, hammer toes, and met¬ 
atarsal troubles are directly traceable to short¬ 
fitting shoes. 

FITTING A BIG FACTOR 

“I find correct fitting is a deciding factor in 
the sale of shoes in anywhere from one-third to 
one-half of the cases. Very frequently I have 
sold a customer black shoes when brown or 
some other color was first wanted because I was 
able to provide a perfect fit in black and could 
not do so in colored shoes.” 

S. J. Brouwer, of the S. J. Brouwer Shoe Co., 
Milwaukee, Wis., says: 

“I believe a good shoe salesman should first 
of all have a measuring stick that is wide enough 
for the entire foot to rest upon. This is advis¬ 
able in order that the edges of the stick may not 
cut the customer’s foot when he is standing. It 
is impracticable to let the foot rest on the floor 
because the floor is usually dusty from the traffic 
of the day and will soil the hose. 

“You cannot get a full length of the foot ex¬ 
cept by having the body weight upon it. The 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS 189 

amount of extension of different feet varies a 
great deal, according to the flexibility of the 
foot. 

“It is my belief that the stick should be made 
to read at the end of the great toe the size meas¬ 
ure of what the foot needs. In the average case 
this would be about correct. The exceptional 
cases must always be taken care of by the good 
judgment of the salesperson. 

“The present conception of fitting feet is that 
the toes must lie close together and that the 
leather of the uppers must be smooth across the 
top. Some day we shall outgrow this and 
then be willing to allow surplus room in the hose 
and forepart of the shoes so that the toes can 
spread. Such fittings would, of course, change 
our entire present system of fitting. 

BALL JOINT 

“The salesperson must not depend upon the 
size stick merely for getting the length. It is 
absolutely essential that the great toe joint be 
pocketed at the depression in the insole at the 
point where the shank stops. When this is done 
there is rarely any danger of a misfit as to 
length. 

“Salesmen should know the difference be¬ 
tween feet that swing in, those that lie straight 
and those that swing toward the outside. He 
must know also, which shoes in stock conform to 
these various lines.” 


CHAPTER XI 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS IN CORRECT SHOE 
FITTING 0 Continued) 

LENGTH OF ARCH 

Louis S. Byck, Louisville, Ky., says: 

“In my experience the most important point 
in the fitting of a shoe is in the salesman’s ex¬ 
amination of the length of the longitudinal arch . 
He will thus be able to produce a shoe that 
allows the ball of the foot to set exactly where 
the ball of the last intended it to be placed. 

“The length of the longitudinal arch, then, is 
of the greatest importance. When the heel, the 
arch and the ball of the foot set properly the toe 
joints will almost invariably be comfortable. 

STRENGTH OF ARCH 

“The salesman should also know whether the 
longitudinal arch of the foot is weak or strong. 
According to the strength of this arch a shoe 
should be selected with the proper shape and 
arch to support the feet at this point. When the 
foot is not properly supported there the scaphoid 
bone, which is the main structure of this arch, 
drops and causes what is commonly known as 
flat-foot. 


190 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS 191 

ARCH SUPPORT 

“In case of a weak arch or a dropped scaphoid 
the proper shoe should be selected that will 
permit of an arch support. The same holds 
good when the metatarsal bones drop. A shoe 
should be selected that will admit of an appli¬ 
ance that will support the transverse arch which 
reaches between the great toe and the small toe. 

“When these points are studied the salesman 
will readily know what style of shoe embodies 
the different characteristics and will be the most 
suitable for the foot he is fitting. 

SHOE LENGTH 

“Another very important feature is length. 
Shoes should invariably be fitted with sufficient 
length. However, this is usually taken care of 
when the ball of the foot rests in the right place. 
This insures freedom of the toes and also the 
proper balance of the foot, but as first stated, 
this can only be accomplished by the study of 
the length of the foot from the heel to the great 
toe joint, commonly known as the ball of the 
foot.” 

A. H. Geuting of Philadelphia, says: 

“Contrary to many people’s ideas, a knowl¬ 
edge of the foot reveals the fact that feet are 
very much alike. Every foot has 26 bones held 
together by muscles and ligaments which sup¬ 
port the body weight. Certain general prin¬ 
ciples, therefore, apply to all feet and should be 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


192 

understood in order to approach intelligently the 
proper fitting of feet. 

TYPES OF FEET 

“In general, there are three types of feet: 

First, the normal foot — to which the stan¬ 
dard measurements in regard to heel, instep 
and ball measure apply; 

Second, the short, thick, arched foot with very 
high instep and short toes; 

Third, the long, slender, thin foot with low in¬ 
step, small ankle and narrow heel. 

“Each of these types of feet should be treated 
separately in the fitting of shoes, but the general 
principles apply to all. 

GENERAL PRINCIPLES 

“First, the foot should always carry the 
body weight on the outside. All lasts should be 
so constructed as to throw the weight over the 
bonal structure in order to relieve the inside 
arch from any unnecessary strain. I am also a 
firm believer in the general principle of having 
the foot control the shoe as much as possible. 
This is particularly true regarding growing feet. 
It is necessary in order that the foot muscles 
may be constantly exercised. A shoe so con¬ 
structed will produce proper poise of the human 
body on the foot. It is also conducive to con¬ 
stant health and increasing strength. I refer, of 
course, to the fitting of such shoes as those in- 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS 


i 93 


tended for general service, that are intended to 
be wholesome to the feet, that may nevertheless 
be good looking and even smart. These pre¬ 
clude the extreme high heels and narrow toes 
which deserve separate treatment and form a 
different viewpoint. 

DETERMINING PROPER SIZE 

“To determine the proper size of a foot, care 
should be exercised to secure the proper length, 
for you are dealing with feet having varying de¬ 
grees of strength. A weak foot will flatten and 
lengthen out when the weight of the body is 
sustained, while a strong foot sometimes yields 
but little. Therefore, measuring a foot in a re¬ 
laxed state does not give the proper size. 

“In some cases you can give a man or woman 
perfect comfort by fitting a shoe a size and 
a half longer than the foot measures in the 
relaxed state. In others, however, it is 
necessary to give as much as four sizes 
longer than the measure called for. There¬ 
fore, to secure the proper length, the meas¬ 
ure should be taken with the full weight of the 
body on the foot. 

WIDTH 

“The width, of course, is something that is 
very easily passed upon as it depends entirely 
upon the sensitiveness of the feet. Some feet 
are most comfortable in snug shoes. Others re¬ 
quire that they be very loose. Therefore, when 


194 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


you have secured a proper length, the width 
should be chosen to suit the comfort conditions 
of the foot. 

“This necessarily brings in the problem of 
lasts. Oftentimes a last long enough for the foot 
is too large for the instep and heel. Therefore 
a salesman cannot secure a proper fit unless the 
lasts and patterns are suited to the purpose. 

“Feet that pronate a great deal, that is, 
lengthen out when the body weight is carried, 
require long shoes and must have a correspond¬ 
ingly short heel measure so as to hold the foot 
firm in the heel and over the instep. 

“This is also very important in the fitting of 
children’s shoes, where the toes and forepart of 
the feet should always have ample room and yet 
have a snug heel fit. Such lasts are sometimes 
called combination lasts. They should not be 
regarded as such, for they should be made 
especially for this sort of feet. For the reason 
that there is a big family of such feet, shoes 
should be made to suit this particular type. 

“It is not necessary to say much upon the nor¬ 
mal foot inasmuch as the general principles of 
fitting are easily applied and usually such feet 
are fitted with little trouble. 

THE SHORT FOOT 

“The second type of foot, namely, the short, 
thick, high-arched foot, requires a shoe that has 
a shorter forepart with higher instep and long 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS 


i9S 


heel measure. When such a last is selected 
there is little trouble to fit these feet, applying 
the general principles stated above. 

“Occasionally there are feet that flare out¬ 
ward considerably. Such feet often have a 
second toe that appears to be longer than the 
great toe. Feet of this character require a last 
that does not curve inward too much or too 
suddenly because such lasts are apt to interfere 
with the small toe. Feet of this character should 
be fitted with what is generally known as a 
straight last. 

DISTORTIONS 

“Whenever there are distortions, where feet 
have been abused, special methods must be re¬ 
sorted to. Large bunions, which I am glad to 
note in the trade are not as general as they used 
to be, and which with proper fitting will disap¬ 
pear altogether in the future, must, however, be 
catered to as these joints are highly sensitive. 
Every store making an effort to fit feet properly 
should have a “bunion last” in stock to provide 
plenty of room for the sensitive joints, at the 
same time to secure a snug heel fit. 

FALLING ARCHES 

“Falling arches, both longitudinal and trans¬ 
verse, require also special attention. There are 
two methods used in practice to overcome this 
trouble. One is to provide the feet with arch 
supports. These must, however, be used with 


196 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

a great deal of care and knowledge in order that 
helpful results may follow. The other method 
is to relieve the strain upon the ligaments and 
muscles of the feet by poising the body weight 
on the bonal structure — which is the side of the 
foot. By allowing of more freedom of action 
through the use of a flexible shank in the shoe 
it is possible to restore normal strength, as a re¬ 
sult of the muscular exercise thus given to the 
foot. This method I am most in favor of and 
only resort to the former in emergencies and in 
case of old age. Under such conditions I be¬ 
lieve it is better to provide a shoe with the arch 
built in the shoe, such as are generally made to 
support such weaknesses. 

METATARSAL TROUBLES 

“Metatarsal trouble, that is, where the trans¬ 
verse arch has fallen, usually causing callouses 
on the bottom of the feet, directly results from 
wrong poise. This may be treated in the same 
way that you treat longitudinal arch trouble, or 
the regular falling arch, by poising the weight 
on the bonal structure and giving the feet an 
opportunity to build up muscular strength. In 
emergencies, however, it is often necessary to 
support the metatarsal bones by placing little 
leather patches underneath the bones in correct 
positions. This will assist greatly in overcoming 
the trouble. 

“There are some excellent devices in the mar- 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS 


197 


ket for the various foot troubles. They may 
also be easily made in the shop. Where arch 
supports are required, I prefer the leather to the 
metal arch. My belief is that the purpose of the 
appliance is not so much to support the arch but 
to throw over the weight of the body upon the 
outside foot structure. The flexibility of the 
leather makes for muscular exercise and is not so 
destructive to foot-power. Both the metatarsal 
support and other forms of arch supports may 
be made in any well-regulated shop. 

FITTING STYLE SHOES 

“In fitting ‘style shoes/ we cannot very well 
discuss orthopedics. However, in general, the 
lasts of such shoes should follow the orthopedic 
lines and be comfortable even though the 
toes may be very narrow, provided the proper 
length and proper width are selected. Customers 
should generally he advised that such shoes are 
not conducive to health, and when worn con¬ 
stantly and persistently will bring on foot 
trouble of some kind or other. 

“A high heel throws the body weight forward 
on the metatarsal bones and is usually the cause 
of metatarsal trouble. It also gives such un¬ 
certain poise to the body that where weak ankles 
exist the body weight is apt to fall over on the 
muscular side of the foot, thus causing fallen 
arches. 

“The proper theory of fitting should be that 


198 CORRECT SHOE FITTING 

every woman and man should wear shoes that 
permit the foot to perform its work naturally 
under conditions as made necessary in the ordi¬ 
nary routine of each person’s daily work. 

“During social relaxation, where style, mode 
and dress ideas are the chief factors any shoe 
or slipper may be worn to produce the proper 
effect. The few hours that such shoes are worn 
will never cause distress or trouble provided 
these shoes are not worn while at work. In 
short, foot troubles do not result from the shoe 
that is worn for a few hours on special occasions 
but rather they come from the shoe that is worn 
day in and day out, year after year. This sets 
the measure in foot health, strength, and the joy 
of life. 

HIGH ARCHES 

“There are many people who have an erro¬ 
neous idea that a high arch calls for a high heel. 
This is not the case. Nature never intended a 
shoe heel to be worn. There is only one excuse 
for a high heel. That is where the Achilles cord 
is not normal but short. In such a case a high 
heel is necessary to balance the foot. This, how¬ 
ever, has no relation whatever to the arch. 

“The reason a great many people say they feel 
more comfortable in a high heel is that they have 
always worn them and the body being poised 
forward they have developed muscular strength 
to support that abnormal position. When this 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS 


199 


condition exists the effect of throwing the weight 
back on a normal heel naturally makes for dis¬ 
comfort at least for a day or two. But when the 
opportunity is given for a new set of muscles to 
be developed to take care of the new position 
the result is to produce a more natural and 
healthful position of the body. 

ENCOURAGING SENSIBLE SHOES 

“Let me emphasize here the point that con¬ 
structive salesmanship calls for a knowledge 
that will direct the customer’s mind to the wear¬ 
ing of sensible, low-heeled footwear for every¬ 
day service. It is not sensible for a person to 
wear turn-soled shoes with stilty wooden heels 
while engaged at work. Such shoes are not 
alone wasteful but injurious to the health and 
well-being of our people. 

“Sensible and orthopedic shoes should be 
encouraged for this service. These are in the 
market in very smart and attractive styles. It 
does not follow, as many suppose, that such 
shoes make it impossible for a person, at any 
later time, to wear dainty style shoes. The 
latter may be indulged in with more pleasure 
and more satisfaction by wearing sensible shoes 
in the every-day duties of life. The feet become 
more healthful and strong and are thus able to 
stand the strain that might come in the wearing 
of extreme high-heeled, pointed-toe shoes dur¬ 
ing a social evening. 


200 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


“These facts are not generally understood by 
the average woman to whom they principally 
apply. Women have the erroneous idea that if 
once their feet are encased in comfortable shoes 
they may never again be able to wear attractive 
styles on dress occasions.” 

PLASTER CASTS 

Many people, custom boot makers especially, 
have long clung to the idea that a plaster cast 
of the foot forms the one true basis on which 
the proper shape for making the shoe may be 
determined. It is at once apparent that this 
is not true. A plaster cast can only be made 
with the foot at rest and of course nobody at¬ 
tempts to fit shoes correctly except with the 
weight of the body fully exerted. 

FIT CHILDREN LONG 

Fit children’s feet with plenty of length. This 
is more important even than in the case of adults 
for the reason that the child’s foot continues its 
growth every day. A shoe may be long enough 
when first fitted but by the time it is worn out 
the child’s foot may have extended by actual 
growth so that the shoe may then be too short. 
Allowance must be made for this condition. 

FORCING DEFORMED FEET 

A corrective shoe although admirable in itself 
may work real harm to an abused foot if it 
forces a deformed foot position into a normal 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS 


201 


one. The matter of restoring a foot to its cor¬ 
rect position is a gradual process, not a brute- 
strength proposition. 

ARMY FITTING INSTRUCTIONS 

The army manual on foot fitting, instructs 
the shoe-fitting soldiers as follows: 

“The officer or enlisted man will grasp with his 
hand the leather of the shoe over the ball. As 
his fingers and thumb are brought slowly to¬ 
gether over the leather the shoe should feel 
snugly fitted without apparent tension, while the 
leather should lie smoothly under the hand. If 
the leather wrinkles under the grasp of the hand 
the shoe is too wide and a narrower width is 
needed. If the leather seems tense and bulgy 
and the hand tends to slip over easily, the shoe 
is too narrow and a greater width is necessary. 

“When foot-measuring machines and shoe¬ 
fitting devices are not available, the procedure 
in determining the fact of fit of the shoe will 
be the same as contained in the preceding para¬ 
graph. The officer or enlisted man fitting the 
shoe will also press in the leather of the shoes 
in the front of the toes to determine the exist¬ 
ence of sufficient vacant space in that region, to 
prevent toe injury. Under no circumstances 
should this vacant space in front of the great 
toe be less than two-thirds of an inch, or the 
width of a man’s thumb, nor should there be 
pressure on the top of the toes. 


202 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


“In the army, length is verified, in the absence 
of the fitting machine adopted for use, by press¬ 
ing down the leather in front of the toes. If 
the leather and the tip of the toe touch or are 
close together, the shoe is too short. If it is 
more than about a thumb's breadth apart, the 
shoe is too long. In a good fit there is not less 
than half an inch of vacant space in front of the 
great toe under pressure." 

RACIAL DIFFERENCES 

Since American communities are made up of 
people from all over the world, the salesman is 
frequently called upon to fit feet, not only of 
different nationalities but of different races. 
These races differ somewhat in foot construction, 
and consideration should be given to this fact. 
The negro race, for instance, has a foot arch not 
nearly so high as that of the white races. It is 
not a defect. It is the natural foot shape. White 
people, occasionally, as elsewhere pointed out, 
have foot arches naturally lower than the gen¬ 
eral racial standard. 

Sometimes the muscular and tissue develop¬ 
ment under the arches, owing to occupational or 
athletic use, is more fully developed than usual. 
Therefore, the outline of the foot may in such 
cases look like flat-foot. Close examination 
should, in such cases, reveal the fact that the 
bones are in proper arch formation and that the 
foot is thoroughly healthy. 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS 


203 


FIT BOTH FEET 

In fitting shoes always fit both feet. Various 
causes may give rise to differences in some de¬ 
gree between both feet of the same individual. 
Accident or illness or other causes may develop 
trouble in one foot and not in the other, but 
this is rare. Make it part of your service to fit 
both feet correctly. 

SIZE DIFFERENCES 

Each full size is one-third of an inch longer 
than the next smaller size. Each half-size is, of 
course, one-sixth of an inch longer. 

Each width size is one-twelfth of an inch 
wider than the next smaller width. That is, for 
each half-size increase in length there is one- 
twelfth of an inch increase in width. For in¬ 
stance a shoe, size 7, increases one-twelfth of an 
inch in width with each width letter. 

If a shoe is too short but plenty wide 
enough, the longer shoe should take care of the 
proper width by having the next smaller width 
than was used in the shorter length. Let us say, 
for example, that a size 7D is all right for width 
but too short. The next trial should be a 7JC. 
In such cases, however, do not “take it for 
granted.” Make sure. You know that shoes 
are put together by machines but the machines 
are controlled by human beings, and mistakes 
occur in all factories. Then too there is likely to 


204 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


be some variation in sewing the upper to the 
sole. This may alter the width a shade or so. 
Another point: Lasts are made of wood, and 
while the size grading is well standardized, wood 
is more or less subject to swelling and shrinking 
according to the amount of moisture in the 
air. In other words the same lasts will vary 
a little with the varying seasons. The only 
safe course is to fit the foot regardless of 
the size markings. 

A little extra length will do no harm provided 
the ball-joint of the foot is in the ball-joint 
place of the shoe. But a too short or too narrow 
shoe is harmful. 

ANKLE FITTING 

Note the fit of the shoe around the ankle. If 
too loose here the shoe will slip a bit at the heel 
and tend to allow the foot to become misplaced 
in the shoe itself. As a rule shoes are made now¬ 
adays with good heel seats and with enough 
curve to allow reasonable snugness of fit around 
the heel. It is not believed that American shoe¬ 
making can be charged with any serious error 
in this respect. Generally the uppers are so de¬ 
signed as to allow the lacing to produce the 
proper adjustment at the ankle and above the 
ankle. “Fat-ankle shoes” are provided for un¬ 
usual cases. If the ankle and lower leg is abnor¬ 
mally small, so that looseness is a defect, a re¬ 
pair man can slit the top, take out the 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS 


205 


unnecessary leather in a “V” shape and neatly 
sew up the shoe and make a proper fit at this 
point. 

ARCH SUPPORT QUESTION 

Never fit an arch support of any kind with¬ 
out knowing exactly what you are doing. Ask 
yourself the question: “What will be the effect 
upon the muscles, tendons and bones of this foot 
as a result of the wearing of this arch support?” 
Unless you can, in confidence, answer this ques¬ 
tion you do not understand sufficiently the 
matter of fitting supports and you should not 
attempt to do so. 

WET SHOES 

A shoe that may originally have fitted prop¬ 
erly is likely to become harmful if it is allowed 
to get wet and is then put away in a wet con¬ 
dition. Under such circumstances it will often 
get out of shape because leather is likely to 
shrink a bit and to form wrinkles that affect the 
fit. This in turn causes blisters and abrasions 
upon the foot of the wearer. 

The shoe must be properly dried, and not too 
quickly. Before the drying is complete and the 
leather has become “set” all dirt should be re¬ 
moved. Rub the leather back to its original 
pliancy and, if need be, apply a bit of oil with 
a cloth. Too much oil or grease tends to prevent 
the perspiration from evaporating. This, of 


206 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


course, is bad for the foot. If a shoe has dried 
without these precautions, it can be reasonably 
well restored by wetting it again and going 
through the simple process described. 


CHAPTER XII 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS IN CORRECT SHOE 
FITTING {Concluded) 

CO-OPERATION WITH PHYSICIANS 

Retail shoe men have an excellent and pleas¬ 
ant opportunity of co-operating with their 
local physicians. Every salesman knows prob¬ 
ably one or more physicians. Nearly all of them 
have actual skeletons of the feet. Make it a point 
to talk, not once but often, with these physicians 
about the feet. You can learn something about 
the structure and function of the human foot 
from them. They will be glad to learn some¬ 
thing about shoes from you. This sort of con¬ 
tact paves the way for such cases of foot trouble 
as you should refer to physicians for treatment. 
More and more are medical men getting to be 
interested in footwear and its relation to health. 

AVOID TECHNICAL TERMS 

While it is necessary in a discussion of foot¬ 
fitting such as that given in this volume, to use 
some technical terms — indeed a retail shoe 
salesman should for his own sake be familiar 
with them — it is wisest not to use them in serv¬ 
ing customers. Excepting in rare cases the cus- 

207 


208 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


tomer is certain to be confused by these terms; 
he or she may feel that the salesman is “showing 
off” his wisdom. Therefore it is best to speak 
of the os calcis, for instance, as the heel bone, 
the longitudinal arch as the “lengthwise arch” 
the transverse arch as the “cross arch,” the cunei¬ 
form bones as the “instep bones,” the phalanges 
simply as “toe bones,” and so forth. 

HOSIERY 

Few people give any thought to stockings as 
an item in correct shoe fitting and as a possible 
direct or contributing cause of foot troubles. 
Fit should be had in stockings according to the 
same standard as shoes. It must take into ac¬ 
count the unrestricted action of the foot. At 
present the tendency seems to be to make 
pointed stockings. The principles of foot shape 
should govern especially on the inner margin line 
so as allow the big toe its normal use in walking. 

If a stocking is so shaped as to distort the 
toes by compressing them together it is ill-fitting 
and injurious to the foot. It may seem a small 
matter but should not therefore be passed over 
lightly. It is certainly a fact that many people 
do wear hosiery that hampers foot freedom. 
Stockings are elements of “style” to some de¬ 
gree and they do follow shoe shapes. Manu¬ 
facturers of hosiery knowing that pointed-toe, 
narrow forepart shoes are the fashion naturally 
make their product to conform. 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS 


209 


The retail shoe salesman, of course, has every 
opportunity to observe the fitting quality of the 
stockings worn by his customer when the old 
shoe is removed, preliminary to trying on the 
new shoe. While tact is necessary, and every 
care should be used not to offend the customer, 
particularly in cases where advice is not asked, 
the salesman should know hosiery sizes and the 
principal points of their fitting. If the store 
carries hosiery he certainly should be thoroughly 
posted not only in this way but with other selling 
information. In other words he should be in a 
position to advise customers as to the relation 
of hosiery to correct shoe fitting. If in his judg¬ 
ment the customer is wearing hosiery that does 
not fit he should try to inform the customer of 
the fact in a tactful manner. Sensible people 
are glad to have expert advice on such a subject. 

Certainly the salesman owes it to himself, the 
store, the shoe he is selling and the customer 
himself, to inform the customer if it appears 
that the stockings to be worn with the shoe are 
wrong in size or shape. Otherwise the salesman 
or the shoe or the store may be blamed for the 
result. Put the responsibility up to the cus¬ 
tomer where it belongs. In many cases the in¬ 
formation will be thankfully received. 

Stockings must first of all be fitted long 
enough. Too-short stockings will defeat the cor¬ 
rective or health-preserving possibilities of 
proper shoes. They will eventually weaken the 


210 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


transverse arch and hurt the large toe joint. 
Pointed toe stockings pull the big toe out of line, 
crowd and crumple up the other toes and, gen¬ 
erally speaking, do nearly as much harm as the 
narrow-toe shoes. % 

When corrective footwear has been applied, 
after the other sort has been worn, never fail to 
tell the customer to procure and wear stockings 
that allow the toes to conform to the new lines 
of the changed shoes. This is especially im¬ 
portant in reference to the matter of allowing 
the big toe to move over to its normal position 
in a straight or nearly straight inside line. A 
correctly fitted shoe may lose its value consider¬ 
ably if poor-shaped stockings are worn with it. 

Some physicians and army people advocate 
a stocking made like a mitten, that is, with a 
separate compartment for the big toe. The idea, 
however, has not yet been taken up in a commer¬ 
cial way by any of the hosiery manufacturers. 
There is merit in it, if the hosiery is neatly made. 

If a customer who has foot trouble is 
and apparently has been wearing properly 
shaped shoes one of the things to look for as a 
possible cause of the trouble is his hosiery. Ex¬ 
amine it carefully and determine without doubt 
one way or the other if the stockings have dis¬ 
torted the feet. Wrinkled, bunchy stockings 
may lead to troubles of the feet, abrasions, 
callouses, corns, etc. Be sure therefore that the 
stockings are not too large. 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS 


2 11 


People should wear good-quality, smooth¬ 
fitting, non-binding stockings. Wool is the best 
of all because it is porous, absorbs perspiration 
and permits evaporation readily. Cotton does 
not easily absorb perspiration and does not 
allow evaporation quickly. Hosiery should be 
exposed to the air regularly for the reason that 
the organic impurities that come as a result of 
wearing are thus oxidized and dispersed through 
contact with the air. 

Occasionally a customer is found, often ad¬ 
vanced in years, who has long worn so-called 
“fashionable” shoes and has had no foot-trouble. 
Inquiry will generally develop the fact that he 
uses his feet moderately and calls upon them to 
bear no great part in his activities. He 
does little walking and no hard work — at least 
in shoes of this character. Such a case may be 
altogether reasonable and need not upset the 
salesman’s ideas on correct-fitting shoes. A cus¬ 
tomer of this description if called upon to make 
regular and hard use of the feet would certainly 
not be able to do so with improperly shaped 
shoes. There are no real exceptions to the rule. 
It is also true without doubt that people who do 
little walking and who use their feet but moder¬ 
ately can walk in the toeing-out manner without 
being conscious of any defect. However, if long 
sustained walking and steady and hard use of the 
feet are demanded the straight, forward style of 
walking is the thing. 


212 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


The same conclusion holds true of some of the 
minor foot troubles when found in people whose 
occupation or habits make necessary only moder¬ 
ate stress upon the feet. But again, it must 
ever be remembered by the salesman that the 
great truths of foot-fitting are not in the slight¬ 
est altered by these instances. 

“KEEPING ITS SHAPE” 

Here is a singular thing that probably all sales¬ 
men have noticed: Customers certainly are, on 
the average, “fussy” over the shape of the shoe 
they wear. They seem almost to expect the 
salesman to produce beauty of form by means of 
footwear, irrespective of the shape of the foot. 
Therefore they take time and thought to 
have their new shoes look “smart.” 

Frequently they ask if the shoe “will keep its 
shape.” Nothing is more certain than this: No 
shoe that does not conform to the shape of the 
foot can possibly keep anywhere near its origi¬ 
nal shape. These smart shoes that cram the toes 
and otherwise distort the foot do certainly look 
fine when the customer tries them on and for a 
time thereafter. But not for long. Incorrectly 
fitted shoes, under wear, soon lose their original 
lines and become positively ugly. And the cus¬ 
tomer wears them thus for many weeks. If a 
shoe is fitted to the shape of the foot in the first 
place and if reasonably well made it will “keep 
its shape” for a long period and will preserve for 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS 


213 


the wearer the really fine lines that appealed to 
him or her when the purchase was made. 

HIGH HEELS 

It is not possible to overlook or pardon the 
continuous wearing of high heels. If worn 
steadily they will surely cause distortion of the 
foot and this cannot be judged as sensible or as 
true art. As long ago as 1857 Professor Meyer 
was alarmed over the then increasing use of 
what he called high heels. He said that women 
would voluntarily sacrifice comfort, health and 
beauty to fashion. He said that temper was 
affected by a badly-shaped shoe; that the foot 
is a part of the body and ought not to be changed 
by fashion; that shoes with heels an inch high, 
even, were, on the average, too high-heeled. 

Elsewhere in this volume the effects of high 
heels are discussed in connection with various 
foot ills. It is unnecessary at this point to travel 
the ground again, in detail. 

Continued use of high heels shortens the heel 
cord and back leg muscles. A distinguished 
surgeon is authority for the statement that 
among people in the United States these muscles, 
on the average, are today three-fourths of an 
inch shorter than they were a hundred years ago. 

A well-known manufacturer of natural-shaped 
footwear says: “Many women insist that they 
are comfortable in shoes with high heels and 
pointed toes, and that they can wear no other 


214 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


kind.” This is no doubt true in many cases, if 
they have been long accustomed to wearing such 
shoes. The feet have become deformed and may 
require deformed shoes to fit them. This helps 
to explain how the sense of the natural shape 
and beauty of the foot is largely lost among us. 

The women, even quite young girls, demand 
high heels because of the fashion. It is fully 
realized, of course, that the salesman must meet 
this fact face to face. He must not expect to 
convert everyone to the doctrine of properly fit¬ 
ting shoes. He would not make a nuisance of 
himself in advocating such shoes and pointing 
out the evils of the other sort. However, “faint 
not in good works.” With increasing good 
humor and pleasant ways never fail to point out 
to the customer that high heels can be worn 
safely only by feet that are naturally strong and 
normal, and then only occasionally, as at social 
gatherings. 

Urge with tact and quiet confidence that 
in the regular day’s duties only footwear 
allowing proper action of all the foot bones, 
muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves and blood 
vessels be worn. A good deal of the salesman’s 
duty in this respect will be made easier if his em¬ 
ployer is “sold” on the idea of correct fitting as 
a regular part of his store service. And, after 
all, the reputation of a salesman as a “crank” 
on proper fitting is a valuable asset to himself 
and his store. 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS 


215 


VANITY AND HIGH HEELS 

Many public spirited people and some insti¬ 
tutions are “taking up” this question of the re¬ 
lationship of health and footwear. All of them 
are agreed that high heels as a regular thing are 
wrong. If the public could be educated to a 
true realization of the facts, that problem would 
soon be solved, excepting for a certain few stub¬ 
born people who will wear injurious footwear 
regardless of consequences. Out of every thou¬ 
sand human beings it seems fair to expect a 
certain percentage of fools, and “shoe-fashion” 
will always command its full share of them. If 
vanity is at fault, vanity may, probably will, 
carry the day. The salesman is not to be blamed 
for selling such people what they want — he 
should do so. If ignorance lies at the base of 
wearing badly fitting shoes, if the customer is 
ignorant of the effect sure to result, the salesman 
positively must give the customer the truth of 
the matter. If he does not do so the customer 
cannot be blamed and the salesman should 
be blamed for the dire results that follow the 
wearing of misshapen shoes. And, after all, high 
heels must be included under the general head of 
misshapen shoes. 

It is not true that the arch is destroyed or 
weakened just because the heel is raised. The 
powerful muscles, tendons and ligaments that 
control these arches are not lessened because 


216 


CORRECT SHOE FITTING 


the heel is raised. The arch is undoubtedly just 
as strong in this position as when the foot is in 
its natural position. The evils of high heels 
should be placed where they belong and may 
be described thus: 

1. The center of gravity of the body is 
changed from its natural place, thus imposing 
the weight of the body on the foot otherwise 
than as nature intended and compelling un¬ 
natural burdens on the muscles of nearly the 
whole body and displacing the organs of the 
body. 

2. The foot is thrust forward in a steepened 
manner, causing the foot to slide or push for¬ 
ward. This results in “cramming” the bones of 
the foot, especially in a pointed-toe shoe which 
is usually associated with high heels. 

3. The heel is not allowed to came down to 
its natural “jumping off” place, so to speak. 
This is an essential to the adequate upward mo¬ 
tion of the foot which is to follow. 

In pointing to the low-heeled shoe as a correc¬ 
tion for all these foot ills one must emphasize the 
wisdom of making the change from high to low 
heels gradually. Otherwise this radical change 
may result in producing greater pain than ever. 
A well-known New York chiropodist says that 
this is the reason why women form the larger 
percentage of his patients when the tennis and 
sport season is on. The sudden change to low- 
heeled shoes puts a heavy strain on the muscles 


SALESMANSHIP POINTS 217 

which have been contracted by the continued 
use of high-heeled shoes. 

When it comes to the problem of helping the 
public to know what is right-fitting footwear and 
the evils sure to result from use of the other sort, 
the retail shoe salesman is unquestionably the 
“man of the hour.” Practically every pair 
of shoes bought in the United States, hundreds 
of millions a year, is fitted by a retail salesman. 
The greatness of the opportunity for public edu¬ 
cation on correct foot-fitting is apparent. Each 
salesman who does his duty in this is a benefac¬ 
tor of humanity. 


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